Five Years On
by Hayden Lucas
Summary: The further adventures of the iCarly gang.  Carly and Sam are now parents to five-year-old twins...
1. iAm the Walking Wounded

**iAm the Walking Wounded**

It was late in the evening – _'late'_ from a business point of view. Shelby's last training session had ended nearly two hours ago. She had driven to _Il Terrazzo Carmine_, picked Sam up, and returned to the gym. The pair of old friend hit the door, already in the midst of a heated discussion.

"You owe me a favor, Puckett!"

"What favor?"

"Just trust me…"

"You're insane, you know that, Marx?"

Shelby laughed it off.

"That remains to be seen, but you owe me, Puckett…"

Sam Puckett would never be seen as someone who'd welch on a bet.

"Yeah, fine, whatever…"

It was then that she saw it. There, in the middle of the floor, only steps away from the door to the women's locker room, was a duffel bag. Sam knew that only could mean one thing, but her brain hadn't yet processed things out that far.

"What the...?"

"You yourself said you were the best…"

Shelby shot her friend a look, and raised her eyebrow.

_**TEN MINUTES LATER…**_

Sam stepped to the ring apron, holding the ropes open wide for Shelby.

"Age before beauty…"

Shelby snickered as her friend climbed through the ropes.

"You know, Sam, maybe this isn't such a good idea… You know, I don't wanna hurt you…"

Sam took it as an affront.

"_Oh, yeah, right, Marx…_ My mama hit me harder…"

Shelby was now bouncing around in the corner opposite Sam. The juices were flowing again. This was all in good fun.

"Yo, Puckett?"

"Yeah?"

Sam was clearly annoyed. Her friend had an incredibly loud personality.

Shelby smirked at the blonde, coyly.

"You wanna ring the bell?"

Shelby Marx was such an ass.

Sam's eyes narrowed into slits. Her friend was enjoying this a bit too much. Sam spoke. Ice water was running through her veins.

"Ding, Ding…"

The two women stalked each other around the ring for a brief moment, talking trash to one another.

"This is insanely crazy, Shelby, you know that, right?"

"Keep talkin', blondie…"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah… just bring it on… Too bad I'll need to send you home to Wendy in pieces…"

The two friends were enjoying this. They were both creatures of ego – strong, _Type A_ personalities.

They each took a swing, connecting within microseconds of one another. The fight would be called a draw.

_**FORTY-FIVE MINUTES LATER, ON MERCER ISLAND…**_

Sam shuffled into the house a step slower than usual. Her head was spinning. She couldn't help but smile. She knew that Shelby Marx would be feeling it in the morning, too.

She stepped through the door, her hat pulled down at a low, odd angle. She came home to perhaps the worst possible situation – bright lights and bouncy, squealing little girls.

Sam stepped through the door to find their girls playing with the video camera. Carly had it on the table, waiting for Sam to come home. The camera, light included, was trained on Sam's face as she walked in.

"Mama! Mama!"

Sam just smiled.

"Hey kiddos…"

Little Melanie admired the old tweed British driving cap pulled low on Sam's head.

"Where'd you get the hat, Mama?"

"A friend gave it to me, Sweetheart..."

It was now Ashley's turn.

"Who punched you in the eye?"

Simultaneously, Carly let out a gasp and came running. A smile curled at the corners of Sam's mouth.

"Same friend…"

The twins looked at each other, trying to make sense of this. Why would one of Mama's friends punch her in the eye? Why would, after punching Mama in the eye, would her friend give her a present? Big people made no sense. All the little girls knew for sure was that it was their birthday tonight – they were turning five – and both of their parents were home to help them celebrate. They both felt a little bad that someone would punch Mama in the eye, but they both knew that Mama was a big person and could take care of herself. If Mama couldn't, their Mommy was there. If Mommy couldn't help, Mama could always talk to Auntie Shelby. She always knew what to do. The twins scampered over to Sam, offering her hugs and kisses. Sam felt as though all was right in the world.

Carly glared at her wife, handing her a can of root beer from the fridge. She was upset. Sam had the makings of quite a nice shiner, but Carly still didn't know why her partner insisted on being so damned stupid. She slid into the chair next to Sam at the kitchen table, looping her arm around Sam's shoulders, and kissed her on the cheek. She spoke quietly, so the twins wouldn't hear.

_"You're in trouble, young lady…"_

Sam shot her a pitiful, puppy dog look.

"Cupcake, Let me explain…"

_This had to be good._ Carly would let Mama explain this one. This was meant for _'Big People Alone Time'_. Now, the only thing Carly was concerned with was calling Freddie and Melanie, celebrating with the kids, making sure everyone had cake and ice cream, and that everyone got off to their respective beds at a reasonable hour. Carly Puckett was most definitely a mom.

_**MEANWHILE, IN THE MARX HOUSEHOLD…**_

Wendy was livid, but she was careful not to raise her voice in front of Megan.

"What do you mean, Shelby?"

"I mean it the way it sounds, Wendy… It was just me and Sam horsing around…"

"…And yet you're going to have a black eye…"

Shelby conceded the point.

"Wendy…"

That was all that she truly needed to say. Wendy Marx realized that Sam Puckett cared for the both of them deeply, as did Carly. Wendy Marx loved her little patchwork family to death. She knew that Sam, of all people, would never hurt Shelby. She realized that nothing more needed to be said. Their redheaded little spitfire, Megan, had just climbed into Shelby's lap, right here at the kitchen table, tiny little ponytail bouncing the entire way.

"Mama! Mama! Mama!"

Shelby's eyes – even the swollen one – sparkled. She smiled at the little girl. She looked more and more like Wendy everyday.

"Gimme a pound, little one…"

Shelby held her fist up. The little girl touched her own to Shelby's. They both smiled.

"You been a good girl for Mommy?"

Megan thought for a second, reflecting on her day, her face screwed up in concentration.

"Ummm…. Yeah huh…"

Shelby and Wendy both laughed. The former prizefighter kissed the little girl on the forehead.

"Alright… Bed time. You go run and brush your teeth and then off to bed… Mommy and I will be in in a minute to tuck you in and read you a story, okay?"

The little girl complied. Shelby gave the little girl a playful swat on the backside as she skipped away. Wendy caught her partner's gaze, leaned in, and kissed Shelby gently on the cheek.

"Can you believe she's five already?"

Shelby just smiled. She was beyond happy. She had a successful business, Wendy, and their little girl. That was all that mattered. She kissed her partner lightly, not saying a word. Wendy flushed and spoke again.

"Just relax. I'm going to go tuck her in, then I'll be right back and get you some ice for that eye, Champ…"

Shelby chuckled. She loved how Wendy babied her. She _was_ a former champion, the greatest in the world at what she did, but none of that mattered anymore. Now, all Shelby Marx wanted to be was a wife and mother. She let Wendy go deal with motherhood. She would simply sit here at the kitchen table, nursing her ginger ale and swollen eye, waiting for her beautiful redhead to return.


	2. iSolitude

**iSolitude**

Carly was babysitting the next afternoon. The perk of putting the kids down for an early nap was the fact that she could get some rest herself. Working for her sister-in-law was fine, although it made her slightly crazy when someone would call at whatever hour, wanting to book Melanie on this show, for this interview, or for whatever other reason.

She'd tucked the girls – including Megan Marx – in a half hour ago, retired to the sofa, and pulled the old quilt up to her chin. She figured she'd get a little bit of reading done, but before she could get more than a few pages in, her eyes felt heavy and she was out like a light.

Within a few minutes, tiny bare feet were making their way across the living room floor. Melanie Puckett, her blonde hair flying this way and that, toddled toward the sofa, her favorite stuffed animal, Mister Bunny, trailing behind her. She proceeded to climb her way onto the sofa, slipping under the covers, next to her mother.

Carly giggled, still very much out of it. Her brain told her that it was her _other, other_ favorite blonde.

Little fingers poked at Carly softly. The brunette fussed sleepily.

"mmmmhmmmmpfff… Sam…"

The little girl snuggled close to her mother's chest.

"Mommy…"

The brunette's eyes popped open. She was met not by her partner, but by her sweet little girl. She spoke sweetly, her voice tinged with sleep.

"Hey, Pumpkin… what's the matter? Bad dream?"

The little blonde wanted nothing more than to snuggle her mother.

"Nuh uh…"

Carly listened as her daughter told her all about it. Little Mel didn't care for Megan very much. She was pushy and had a loud personality, although they certainly could get along well, from time to time.

Carly felt bad, even though she was sure that it wasn't intentional. She let her little girl keep fussing. It was okay to get all whipped up from time to time, even at her age.

"They stole all my covers!"

Carly couldn't help but smile. Her little girl was soft and sensitive, very much like her namesake. She held the little one close, assuring her that neither her sister nor Megan meant anything by it. She pointed out that Mama routinely did the very same thing.

The little girl laughed, never considering that her parents could behave the very same way.

Carly held her little girl. She knew it was time for all three of them – Mister Bunny included – to get some rest.

_**MEANWHILE, AT IL TERRAZZO CARMINE…**_

Sam took her lunch at her usual time. This was one of the perks of her job, at least the way she saw it. She most definitely ate well. She would always make sure to eat alone, in her office, and would never eat on the house, regardless of her title. It wasn't appropriate for her, as the boss, to eat in the dining room or at the bar. She was working, so she needed to work. Vinnie had just delivered her lunch. It was the same as everyday, a Rueben and a bottle of root beer. She looked up. She had been hard on him before and wanted to apologize. Before she could open her mouth, the tall young man cut her off.

"Miss Marx is in the bar, asking to see you, Maam…"

Sam thought this was bizarre.

"Shelby?"

He knew this Shelby woman well enough to place her.

"No, Maam… the other one…"

Sam was perturbed that he didn't think further ahead, but put it out of her mind. She looked through him, careful to sound firm, but not threatening.

"Well, show her in, would you, please?"

"Yes, maam…"

"And one other thing…"

"Maam?"

"Bring her what I'm having…"

That wasn't what she wanted to say. She tried again.

"…and I'm sorry for, you know, that time last week…"

The young man shrugged. It was touching that the boss would apologize to him, but it wasn't necessary. He was wrong then and he knew it. He nodded politely and quietly left.

_**FIVE MINUTES LATER…**_

Sam stood up from behind her desk as Wendy was escorted into her office. She motioned to the chair that she usually kept in the corner of this office for impromptu meetings. Wendy pulled it up opposite Sam and sat.

"I took the liberty of ordering you lunch…" she offered.

"That's not necessary, Sam, but thanks… How's the eye?"

Sam had done her best to cover the injury with makeup she'd borrowed from Melanie. Of course, Wendy knew what to look for. She'd nursed Shelby back to health – covered her bruises and cleaned her cuts – often enough to know.

"Wendy…"

"I get it, Sam… Shelby explained everything."

Sam looked at the pretty redhead like she had three heads.

"She did?"

"Yeah, besides… She's… you know… _Shelby…_"

Sam couldn't help but chuckle. Coming from Wendy, said _just that way_, Sam knew exactly what she meant. The redhead continued.

"_So…_ How long had that been brewing, anyhow?"

Sam smiled her famous crooked smile. She knew that Wendy knew everything, so she answered as truthfully as she knew how.

"Oh, about five years…"

Wendy threw her head back and laughed.

"Oh, that's _so_ typical… she's always got to be the best. What is it with you two and your big, tough egos?"

A knock at the door signaled the arrival of their meals. Sam's sandwich, untouched, had been reheated, while an identical plate had been prepared for her guest. They were delivered by the same waiter Sam had previously dealt with. He carried himself rather formally. He knew how the boss was when she was with someone.

"Maam… Miss Marx…"

Sam motioned gently to him. He approached the desk cautiously. The boss was always very much _'hands off'_. Sam reached into her pants pocket, withdrew twenty-five dollars, and handed it over. She'd just given him nearly an eight dollar tip. She would do whatever she could to balance the scales.

He nodded politely and left the two to talk. Sam spoke as soon as the door was closed and she was satisfied that they were alone.

"Wendy, look, I'm sorry… I know I shouldn't have…"

Her voice trailed off. The redhead interrupted her.

"Sam, would you _listen_, for once in your life, please? How long have we been friends? _I don't blame you_. This is what I get for loving her… This is what Carly gets for loving you… We both love you to pieces, but you're so damn hard-headed…"

Sam chuckled, but let her friend keep ranting.

"It's my lot in life… I said that I'd be with her, for better or worse, and that's fine, but shouldn't you have some sort of _opt-out_ for damn-fool stupidity?"

Sam laughed. She knew Wendy was half kidding, half venting. She could easily see what her friend, the fighter, saw in her. Sam knew it all too well. She took Wendy's hand, across the table.

"There probably should be, Wendy, but _shhh…_ Don't tell Carly…"

Wendy couldn't help but smile. She was happy that she and Sam were friends, regardless of how unique their relationship was.


	3. iWant You to Pay Attention

**iWant You to Pay Attention**

The sounds were what kept Shelby coming back each and every morning. She loved them. They were intoxicating. The gloves. The bag. The smell of fresh leather. _Talk about loving what you did._ Even in her mid-twenties, Shelby Marx was something of a legend. Everyone in the gym – boxers, martial artists, the whole bloody lot of them – had come to train under the tutelage of the former champion. They were all paying clients, so Shelby felt obligated to give them what she had to give.

There were, of course, _exceptions._

"Hey Boss, what's with the eye? Your girl beat on you?"

Mike Lopez. Eighteen years old, Seattle's top ranked amateur. Nine wins against no losses, with six wins by way of knockout. He walked through the doors with an entitlement complex and an ego as big as the Space Needle. In short, the kid was an arrogant S.O.B. and Shelby, frankly, couldn't stand the kid. He'd given nothing to the sport, but looked to ride it all the way to fame and fortune. He was in the game for all the wrong reasons. The kid kept running his mouth. The more he wouldn't shut up, the more Shelby wanted to knock his teeth out.

"Yo, you keep talking about being the best, bragging about what you can do, but I've never seen it… You know, you're not as young as springtime no more…"

Shelby gritted her teeth. _God, how she wanted to pop this kid in the mouth._

"Hey Lopez, if you don't want to listen to what I have to say, _there's the door_…"

"Didn't say that, Boss Lady…"

Shelby knew how to get this kid to fall in line. She needed to challenge him.

"Look, Kid… Sometimes, I swear you're more of a headache than you're worth… Three hundred bucks says you don't last one round with me!"

With that, the fight was on. Shelby set the ring timer for three minutes, slipped on training gloves and headgear, and climbed through the ropes. She knew that this would be easy money.

The bell rang once, signaling the start of the round. The kid charged out into the center of the ring. Shelby was counting on this. She rather loved the fact that she'd been so right-on with this kid.

He swung. She ducked.

He was so damn predictable. She stuck him in the ribs with a quick combination, dancing around the ring. He kept swinging wildly. She'd been out of the ring for five years, and even with that layoff, she had still kept her skills sharp. He landed one minor pot shot to her midsection.

_Okay, that was it. Now she'd had it. Now she was simply pissed off._

One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six. Shelby didn't stop swinging until the kid was headed for the canvas. She borrowed a page from the Greatest Of All Time. In the fight of Old Lion versus Young Lion, the young lion had gotten torn up. She stood over him and gloated.

"It's not bragging if you can back it up…"

…_Ding..._

"Oh, and Kid?"

No answer.

"You owe me three hundred bucks. Cash. My office, before you leave."

Shelby smiled to herself. She still had it.

_**MEANWHILE, ON MERCER ISLAND…**_

Carly had her hands full. She had, thankfully, found five seconds to text her wonderful in-laws and beg for help. That was the huge bonus to living next door to Freddie and Mel. They would drop everything and run over to lend a hand where they could.

Freddie Benson launched himself, essentially, into the house, flinging the front door open. Carly wanted to fall out laughing. Her girls immediately quit their hyperactive, bouncy, shenanigans and ran to him.

"Uncle Freddie! Uncle Freddie!"

_Thank God_.

Freddie scooped up both girls in his arms. He loved them dearly. He attempted to corral them towards the sofa and cartoons.

"Thank you…"

The Tech Nub just smiled.

"No problem… What are friends for?"

Carly smiled broadly, chuckling. They were much more than friends. They were family, and had been for years, but Carly knew that Freddie always thought of the lot of them as though they were still children, back walking the halls as Ridgeway Bulldogs.

Carly wrangled Shelby and Wendy's little girl, and directed her toward the sofa. She could handle her two with a modicum of effort, but Shelby's little redhead had plenty of energy. She made a mental note to tell those two to scale back the little girl's sugar intake.

_**BACK AT THE GYM…**_

There was a knock on Shelby's office door. Her most promising young boxer – and most recent sparring partner – knocked on the door.

"Come in…"

"Look, Ms. Marx…"

She shot him _'The Look'_. He knew she meant business. He wouldn't try to bullshit her.

"I was out of line before, about your eye… I'm sorry."

Shelby glared at him. She wanted him to sweat it out a little.

"Fair enough… Don't let it happen again though…. We clear?"

Shelby had clearly rattled the kid. She borrowed from Sam, every once in a while. She needed to be sure that nobody dared to disrespect her here, _in her house_.

The kid tossed a wad of cash on the desk, held together by a large rubber band.

"Wanna count it?"

Shelby wondered what kind of fool this kid took her for. Of course she would count it. She simply didn't need to do it while he was here. She had plenty of ways to get this kid to buy into '_The System'_. This was simply a teaching tool.

"Get outta here, Lopez… If you're not home at a reasonable hour, your mother's going to worry about you…"

With a wave of her hand, Shelby Marx dismissed the young kid. When he was gone, she opened her lower right desk drawer and removed a locking cash box. She spun the three numbered wheels into their correct position, signifying Wendy's birthday. The box unlocked and she opened it. She counted the cash, sorting out fifteen twenty-dollar bills. She placed them in the correct tray, shut the box, locked it, and replaced it in her drawer. She scribbled a note on her calendar to credit the kid's account as being paid up for the next month. Shelby Marx wasn't heartless. She simply chose to teach the young contender two lessons at once. First, he needed to learn humility. Secondly, it would behoove him not to carry around gobs of cash. He was good with his fists, but those helped you only so far on the streets of Seattle.

Shelby checked her watch again, got up, and left the office, clicking off the light switch as she left. She had a family to get home to.


	4. iMemory Lane

**iMemory Lane**

It was Carly and Sam's anniversary. It had been seven years since that tearful, stomach churning moment on _iCarly_ when she had broken down and told the entire world that she was gay. Carly began the evening the same way she did every year – she pulled the show up from the _iCarly_ archives and watched it over and over and over again. She cried. It didn't seem like so long ago.

Freddie and Melanie were over, awaiting Sam's return. They'd agreed to watch the kids tonight, allowing Carly and Sam an evening alone.

A voice not coming from the computer screen startled the pretty brunette.

"Mommy?"

It was Melanie. Carly dabbed her eyes, not wanting her little girl to see her cry. She put on a brave face and a smile.

"Hey Sweety…"

"Why you cryin'? I make you feel better…"

She offered Carly Mister Bunny. Carly blushed.

"Honey…"

Carly felt like a heel. What could she possibly say to her tiny, little one to make her understand?

"I was just remembering something that happened a long time ago, Baby… Sometimes remembering things makes you cry, because you remember the way you felt…"

There were times that Carly forgot she was dealing with a five year old. The little girl's eyes went wide and she nodded, seeming to understand.

"Oh… oky-dokey… If you not need him, Mister Bunny come with me, 'kay, Mommy?"

Carly giggled. She motioned for the little girl to come closer. The little blonde ran to her mother. Carly held her tight, kissing her on the head. She loved her girls. They were both tiny little embodiments of Sam. Carly gave her daughter a playful little tap on her backside.

"Come on, you… Shoo… go on and play with your sister, Auntie Mel, and Uncle Freddie…"

"'Kay, Mommy… I loves you…"

Carly smiled.

"I love you too, Sweetheart."

_**FORTY-FIVE MINUTES LATER…**_

Sam entered slowly and was surprised to find a dead-quiet house. She had barely turned from the hook beside the door when she heard her partner's voice. They'd known each other nearly twenty years and it still sent shockwaves of electricity down her spine when she knew that they were alone.

Sam turned and locked eyes with her. She could tell what lay behind those beautiful brown eyes she loved so much. Carly loved her as much today as ever.

"Hey you…"

_What the hell did she mean, 'Hey You'?_

"Hey-ya, Cupcake…"

Carly had prettied herself up once the girls had gone with their aunt and uncle. She may be a mom, but to Sam, she was something else entirely. She'd showered, done her hair and makeup _just so_, and found what she was looking for at the back of the closet, still in the bag from the cleaners. She wore it so infrequently, but prided herself on the fact that it still fit like a glove, even after all this time.

Sam felt butterflies. She felt butterflies with Carly everyday, but not like this. This was different. She immediately realized the date and knew what was going through her partner's little Cupcakey mind. She smiled.

"Happy anniversary, Cupcake…"

Warm tears were flowing down Carly's cheeks. She was immediately happy. She held up her hand. There, one finger away from her wedding ring, was the ring that Sam had given her seven years ago tonight, as they had seamlessly transitioned from being friends to being lovers and partners for life. Sam immediately choked up.

Carly reached for her own neck, pulling the chain free from her cleavage. Sam immediately lost control. She couldn't stop her tears. She simply stood there, listening to Carly talk.

"You recognize this, of course… You know it's never come off…"

Sam, of course, did. She had given it to Carly for high school graduation.

"Come here, Mama… I've missed you…"

Sam broke into a sprint from the front door towards the hallway, where Carly stood, wearing the same red cocktail dress that had first appeared the night of their very first date. The blonde held her tightly, crumbling into a weepy, romantic mess.

_**AN HOUR LATER…**_

Carly had arranged to recreate the dinner from their very first date, ordering takeout from B.F. Wang's. Sam was very touched. She knew Carly would never – could never – forget the tiny little details. She felt a lump rise in her throat when her partner began to speak.

"Sam… honey… we need to talk…"

Carly immediately regretted her choice of words, seeing the pained look in her love's eyes.

"Sweety, no… nothing like that… just… something I should've told you a long, long, long time ago…"

Sam swallowed her beef and looked across the table nervously. She was both anxious and afraid of what her Cupcake might have to say.

Carly talked. Sam listened, hanging on her every word.

"Sam, I know we've always said _'No Secrets'_, and that's always been true… well, for the most part…"

Sam looked as though she was teetering on the brink of an all-out meltdown.

"Honey, please… it's not bad, I promise… just something I… you know, kind of closed off and forgot about…"

Sam exhaled deeply, all the pent up stress and emotion leaving her. Deep down, she knew that her Cupcake was her Cupcake for another reason. Carly was Sam's Cupcake because she was soft, sweet, and doughy on the inside. Carly didn't have it in her to hurt people.

"Honey, I know about the flowers…"

Sam nearly went cross-eyed. What flowers? What was she talking about?

"You left them outside my window when we were little..."

Sam's jaw clenched. She wanted to grumble, but couldn't. She no longer had it in her.

"_Melanie…"_

Carly smiled. Yes, Sam's sister had told her the story years ago. Melanie was right. It _was_ the most precious thing ever.

_**NEARLY AN HOUR LATER…**_

Sam had now collapsed into Carly, a weepy mess. She had cried happy, happy tears. Carly's story was the most touching thing she'd ever heard in the world. Carly had finally shared her most intimate secret with the one person who should've known all along.

It had happened two weeks after the infamous '_Tuna Sandwich Incident_'. Little Carly had wandered into her parents' bedroom for a heart-to-heart with her mother, Maureen.

"_Mommy?"_

"_Yes, Sweetheart?"_

"_If I have a secret, I can tell you, right?"_

Carly did tell her. She told her everything, as her then-eight-year-old mind could understand it. Her mother took everything in stride. She had always vowed that her children could share anything with her.

"_Sweetheart, do you really know what love means?"_

Carly shook her head yes. She explained everything she felt inside, how the pretty blonde made her feel complete – feel _normal_ – in a way she couldn't really put in to words.

Carly recounted the tightest hug she'd ever felt her mother give.

"_If it's love, you'll know… when the time is right…"_

The brunette placed a large wrapped box in Sam's lap.

"What's this, Carls?"

"Present… something I should've given you a long time ago."

Sam thought her wife had gone around the twist. She opened the box anyway.

There, she found an oversized scrapbook. She realized it was the one Carly had been working on for weeks in the back bedroom. She flipped through the pages, finding nothing but page after page of letters.

_The University of Washington. The University of Oregon. USC. UCLA. Florida State University._

"Carls?"

Sam began to tear up. She realized what was going on here.

"Turn to the last two pages, Babe…"

She did.

There, Sam found an eight-by-ten color photo of her with Carly in the _iCarly _studio, her arms looped around Sam's neck. They were both smiling. On the page opposite, there was a sheet of notebook paper. It was a letter from Carly to Sam.

* * *

><p><em>Sam,<em>

_I couldn't do it. All the free rides in the world were worth less than what I'd be missing out on. Asking me to spend one day without you – let alone four years – would be like asking me not to breathe._

_There was only one choice._

_It could only ever be you._

_I love you,_

_Carly_

* * *

><p>Sam loved Carly more than anything in the world. She was very happy that her sister had offered to host a sleepover tonight. Sam had her own plans for the evening.<p> 


	5. iSleepover

**iSleepover**

Sprawled across the sofa, the Puckett twins were bouncy and giggly. They loved spending the night at Uncle Freddie and Auntie Melanie's, even though they were just next door and they saw each other every day. There was a certain amount of silliness that they could get away with on Uncle Freddie and Auntie Melanie's watch that their parents wouldn't allow. This was how it was since they had no children of their own.

Melanie wasn't scolding them, she was simply _redirecting_.

"Girls… girls… girls… _GIRLS_!"

The bouncing and giggling subsided. They knew Auntie Mel wasn't angry with them, they'd just gotten too loud for her to talk over them. They fell back on the good manners Mommy had instilled in them, sitting politely, hands folded in their laps.

"Yes maam?" they said in unison.

Melanie smiled at both of them.

"Just a _teensy, weensy bit_ too loud, young ladies…"

Two pairs of bright blue eyes looked to Melanie, instantly contrite.

"Sorry…"

Freddie jumped in, doing the best he could to spare his wife awkward silences or pseudo-parental responsibilities. He grabbed Ashley around the waist and tickled her. All the Puckett women shared a similar ticklish spot in the general ribcage region.

It was the distraction that both Melanie and the twins needed. Freddie and Melanie each took one of the girls onto themselves, spoiling them, each in their own way. They knew from experience that these two could get into far less mischief alone than they could collectively.

_**MEANWHILE, NEXT DOOR…**_

Carly hated having kept those secrets from Sam for all of that time, but the blonde showed all the reasons why Carly had fallen in love with her over and over again throughout the years. Whenever the children were out of the house, they acted like they were teenagers again.

"Sam, I…"

"Carls…"

Carly kept on blathering. The filter was gone from her brain and the genie had come out of the bottle. There were so many things she wanted to tell Sam, and they were all coming out at once.

"Sam…"

"I – _Said_ – SHUT – UP!"

She felt the blonde's teeth on her neck. She knew it was time to listen to reason. She knew that it was time to give her Ham Lover what she wanted. Carly knew that she needed to unwind and be something other than a mom. She adored Sam and the attention that Mama Puckett showered her with every single day. Carly had to admit that it'd been a while since they'd been able to focus on each other quite like this, but that was just the occupational hazard that came with being a parent.

Before Carly could open her trap and just buzzkill the mood, Sam smothered her. Carly's protests died someplace between her lips and Sam's. She rather enjoyed when Sam got this way, lost in the daydream that Carly was still the downy innocent who'd never done such things before – like she really was Melanie Higgles, Space Cheerleader. If Carly played up this fallacy, her inexperience, despite the fact that Sam knew better, her rewards would be great. Carly loved making Sam feel like she was the one in control. She knew very well that at the very next opportunity, she would be able to remake Sam in the image that she wanted.

After all their years together, the blonde had learned who truly wore the pants in the Puckett family. She didn't care. The former Carly Shay had given her everything she'd ever wanted out of life. She had love. She had companionship. She had stability. She had peace, quiet, happiness, domestic tranquility, and children to call her own. Sam Puckett knew very well that she was spoiled. There was nothing in the world she would ever need, much less dream of asking for. She held Carly tight. Tonight had been long overdue. She wanted Carly to have the most amazing evening, fall off to sleep satiated, and sleep until first light, refreshed.

Carly's head was spinning. She rarely drank, for fear of ending up like her father. She would, however, share a glass or two of wine with Sam. Tonight was one such occasion. Carly knew, of course, that the lightheaded, out-of-body experience she was having tonight had far less to do with the White Zin they'd had following dinner and much more to do with who she was with. They had been together, in one form or another, since they were roughly the twins' age. Life with Sam was amazing – it got more and more amazing every day. She held on to Sam tightly. By this time, there was no need for coaching; Sam knew exactly what to do. Carly knew that she was in safe, capable hands.

_**BACK AT CASA DE BENSON…**_

The king bed in Freddie and Melanie's master suite was crowded tonight, despite all efforts to the contrary. Regardless of how many times the girls had spent the night here, they only spent the night alone together roughly half of the time. The remaining fifty percent of the time, the girls did to their aunt and uncle what usually happened at home – they climbed into the big bed, in search of someone else to cuddle.

Freddie and Melanie Benson wouldn't have it any other way. The little girls lay in the center of the bed, cuddled both to each other, as well as their favorite adult.

Even in the darkened bedroom, Mythical Melanie could tell that her husband was blushing. She knew that this – little Fencin' Bensons – was what they both wanted more than anything. She supposed the fact that neither of them had known their fathers was the reason behind it. This referred pain, she figured, was what allowed them to be so great to the children that called Melanie's sister _'Mama'_. It was this shared sense of loss, the one they both acknowledged, yet never spoke about, that blessed them with the ability to handle two tiny little Sams whenever their parents needed to drop them off and handle adult things. They shot each other a look in the darkness, knowing that they'd caught each other's eye.

The couple leaned over in bed, stretching out over the little people now sharing their space. They gave each other their customary good night kiss, over peals of laughter from the little girls.

The girls both yawned. They gave each other hugs and good night kisses, as they always did, before turning their sleepy intentions towards the adults.

"Good night Melanie…"

"Night-night, Auntie Mel…"

Before he could wish Ashley Grace a good night's sleep, Freddie Benson could tell that Carly and Sam's little tomboy was out cold. Even years removed, his wife recognized the quiet snores as being nearly identical to Samantha's. Melanie glanced at the clock on the nightstand, to be sure the alarm was set. It'd been a rewarding evening. She hoped that the happy couple next door had enjoyed their romantic evening. They most certainly deserved it.


	6. iHave it All

**iHave it All**

Sam scurried through the kitchen of _Il Terrazzo Carmine_. It was a relatively slow Sunday afternoon, so she'd brought the rest of the family with her, since she only needed to be in to take care of a few things. That, however, was before she'd gotten backlogged. They had a skeleton crew today, so Sam had to fill in more heavily than she'd anticipated. She popped her head into her office, where Carly sat, supervising the twins' latest art project.

"Twenty minutes, Cupcake, I promise…"

The girls giggled. They always found it amusing when Mama called Mommy her Cupcake.

Sam blew three kisses to her three most important people, and rushed back towards the front of the restaurant.

The bar was ostensibly vacant. She was only here waiting on the arrival of the new assistant manager, who had called in with car trouble. Sam could be quite forgiving, especially when it involved a woman with car trouble and childcare issues to resolve. One person calling off sick led to Sam needing to call her in earlier than expected, which, in turn, of course, meant the need to juggle some of the work in the interim. Thankfully, the bar was quiet.

_**TEN MINUTES LATER…**_

"Oh, God, Sam, sorry I'm so late…"

Sam gave her hair a Melanie-esque little flip. It didn't matter.

"Fuhgeddaboutit…"

Sam sounded like Uncle Carmine. She chuckled. The Puckett name was clean again, though no one in the entire Pacific Northwest would dare cross her. The name would always bring respect.

"Really, I can stay late if you need me to…"

Sam put her hand on the woman's shoulder. She'd known her too long for any of this.

"Look, you've got a family… it's no big thing… If you can hang out here for… I dunno… four hours… til Liz gets in on the night shift, we'll be good…"

"Sam, it's really not a big deal…"

Sam raised one finger, signaling for quiet, even in the deserted bar. She was a businesswoman now, but she was still The Boss. Things would still be done _her way_ or not at all.

"Look… _Wendy…_ you've got a family… four hours, _tops._ Where's the kid?"

"With Shelby… She said she 'likes watching Mama do what Mama does'."

Sam could only roll her eyes. She knew how the redhead felt about all of that. She'd had a hard enough time when Shelby was fighting, and she was the best in the world. Sam knew that Wendy wanted her little girl to be into dolls and jump rope, instead of boxers and cage fights. She simply put her arm around her old school friend.

"It'll be dead here tonight, I think… As soon as Liz gets in, come on over to the house..."

The redhead smiled. She was blessed with amazing friends.

_**A FEW SHORT HOURS LATER…**_

By the time Sam, Carly, and the kids got home, there was already a car in their driveway. Though she recognized it instantly, Carly was concerned. She was instantly a nervous, paranoid mother hen. Sam knew that this would likely start one of Carly's panicky _'episodes',_ so she launched a pre-emptive strike.

"Breathe, Cupcake… just breathe…"

Carly knew she shouldn't get this way, but she was a Mom. She worried just because it was in her nature to do so.

"There's no way that's safe for a child…. No room _at all_ for a car seat…"

Sam just rolled her eyes from the driver's seat.

"Carls… I _think _she knows what she's doing…"

Carly's panicky breaths died in her chest. She knew that Sam was right. She felt Sam give her hand a little squeeze, buried in her lap. They watched as the driver's door to the classic black car swung open. Shelby Marx hopped out of the car, looking polished and sharp in jeans, t-shirt, leather jacket and boots. She circled around to the passenger side door, opened it, and undid the seatbelt that held her little girl, safe and sound.

Sam undid her seatbelt, opened her door, and made her way toward the back, opening the sliding door of their van, to let the girls loose, allowing them to meet their little friend. Carly undid her seatbelt and exited the passenger side door. As much as the need for order nagged at her brain, she knew that the crayons and coloring books could stay in the car. They were a necessity when it came to shuttling little girls around the city.

Sam and Shelby were now on the front lawn, arms around each other's shoulders, like the very best of friends. The three little girls walked toward the front door, hand-in-hand-in-hand. Carly Puckett was a happy woman. She couldn't ask for much more. She had a peaceful, idyllic existence with the one she loved, their friends, and children. She was thankful for this each and every day. She was truly blessed.

_**A SHORT WHILE LATER…**_

The three little girls had gone on to the twins' shared bedroom to play quietly while the grown-ups – Sam, Carly, Wendy, and Shelby, along with the Bensons – retired to the sofa with coffee, both to talk over adult matters and digest the monstrous deep-dish pizza Sam had fixed, all according to the Puckett family recipe. Melanie had come running the second she'd smelled the mixture of fresh tomatoes, basil, oregano, and cheese that constituted the formation of Carmine's tomato sauce. It was engrained in her DNA, just as her blonde hair and blue eyes were. She would know it anywhere in the world. Dinner for four had – instantly and without reservation – become dinner for six. It never mattered. Sam adored her sister, and it broke her heart when Melanie wasn't around. That was the real reason that she'd used Carmine's money all those years ago to purchase this house and make it their home. She'd spent years away from Melanie. She'd spent so much time building up those imaginary walls to protect herself from loss that they'd actually hardened, thanks to the resentment she felt. Finally, after they'd entered college, the twins had realized what they truly meant to one another. That was years ago now, and Sam wouldn't have it any other way. Her world was perfect, even if her sister had fallen for the King of the Nub People.

Sam relaxed, allowing herself to fall backwards, ever so slightly, into her brunette. She was sandwiched between her love and her twin. She did what she always did, completely forgetting that she had company. She stretched her legs out beneath the coffee table, knowing that propping her stocking-feet up on the table would knock over more than one coffee cup. She loosened her belt ever so slightly, only to suffer a lecture from Carly.

"Samantha! Company!"

Sam flushed. She was simply content. She hadn't meant anything by it.

Sensing an opportunity to break the ice with a cheap joke at her sister's expense, Melanie went for it. She knew Sam wouldn't mind.

"Oh, Carly, please… it's not like she's got something I haven't seen before…"

Carly giggled, followed by Wendy and Shelby. The brunette shot her sister-in-law a look, complete with raised eyebrow. It was Carly simply saying _'Come on… really?'_, while Melanie just smiled brightly.

Sam Puckett, for her part, was over the moon. She sat there with a stupid, slippery smile from ear to ear. She felt, in some small way, what it must feel like to be Uncle Carmine. She had it all. The world was hers.


	7. iStand by You

**iStand By You**

The following Saturday was a very special day for the twins. Their parents promised them that, were they good girls the entire week, they could spend the day in the studio with their Auntie Melanie, as she worked on her new album, her third studio release since winning _America Sings_ in college.

The twins were all whipped up with excitement. As much as they loved their large extended family, time with Freddie and Melanie had to be among the little girls' most enjoyable. Sure, their Uncle Spencer was fun, goofy, and let the girls express themselves through paint and clay, but Auntie Mel was… she was like rolling both of their parents up into one person.

"Girls! Time to go!"

Carly called from the kitchen, where she busied herself doing Mommy Things – the type of things she remembered from her own childhood, in the days before her mother had gotten sick. She packed a wonderfully overindulgent picnic lunch. Life with Sam was always wonderfully overindulgent in its own ways. Sam spoiled all three of them something fierce, but Carly had simply grown accustomed to it, chalking it up to Sam just being Sam. She smiled, packing half a dozen peanut butter sandwiches, two with the crusts cut off, into her thermal tote bag.

"Girls!"

As if on cue, Carly's little ones meandered into the living room, holding hands, as usual. Carly adored this. What Carly adored more was the fact that, in an effort to foster a feeling of individuality amongst her identical little mini-Sams, her partner had made the girls tiny little penny tees. They matched larger versions that Carly and Sam still wore, much to their daughters' confusion.

Carly nearly burst from the inside with laughter. Her girls were just _too _precious. Carly had loved Sam nearly all of her life, and today she had confirmation of yet another reason why. Sam had a wickedly adorable sense of humor. Ashley wore an orange t-shirt which read, in bright yellow letters, _'BACON CUPCAKE'_. Melanie was wearing a bright green shirt with purple letters. It said, not surprisingly, _'NOT MYTHICAL'_.

The original Cupcake smiled again. She loved then so much. She wanted them to stay nice and small like this forever. She didn't want to deal with what she knew was coming in only a few years' time. She wanted to savor the moments before hormones, before dating, before _boys_. She wanted to savor the time that her own mother had missed out on. She knew that she was now a conflicted mess of emotions. She felt a lump rising in her throat. She choked it down and cheerfully corralled her little ones towards the front door.

"Come on… first, we go get Mama, then we can all enjoy the rest of the day…"

The two little blonde princesses followed Carly obediently, never stopping to ask what else their parents had planned for them.

_**AN HOUR LATER…**_

The two tiny blondes were completely in awe. Uncle Freddie had done a nice job with the studio he'd built in their home, but it had nothing on this place. Two sets of bright blue eyes scanned the entire room, completely unsure of what all those little blinky lights in the other room did, but they knew this was where music got made. They both said, simultaneously what each other was thinking.

"Whoa…"

Carly and Sam laughed. Melanie Benson chuckled to herself, taking her nieces through the paces.

"Kinda cool, huh?"

She could tell that her favorite tiny people were clearly soaking it all in. Freddie mumbled something under his breath, inaudible to all but his wife. She fussed at him, only half seriously.

"I HEARD THAT, FREDWARD BENSON… AND WE'LL DISCUSS THAT LATER, THANK YOU VERY MUCH…"

Her husband was such an insecure child at heart. Whenever he came and noticed that the studio had installed a new piece of recording hardware, he instantly wanted to add it to their setup at home. Usually, Melanie relented, knowing instinctively that a happy Freddie meant, in the long run, more opportunities to record on her own, which meant more creative control. More creative control meant that she enjoyed what she did that much more. It was, she decided, an investment in herself.

_**A FEW SHORT MOMENTS LATER…**_

Melanie shared a few quiet moments with her sister as Carly took the girls to the bathroom.

"They really are beautiful, amazing, little people, Sam…"

Sam knew very well what her sister was playing at, but wanted to be delicate.

"They're us… basically…"

Melanie smiled at her sister. She knew Sam was being gentle like this solely to spare her feelings. She touched her sister gently on the arm. The two of them could carry on entire conversations with nothing more than a glance or a raised eyebrow. They'd had this very conversation more times than Sam cared to remember, of late. She didn't want to hurt her sister, so she said what needed saying in her own way.

"Still no?"

The slightest shake of her twin's head told Sam the truth.

"Oh, Honey…"

Samantha Puckett did the only thing she knew. She took her sister into her arms and held her. Their foreheads met. For a brief moment, Samantha was back inside her sister's mind. She spoke to her without saying a word. It was what they'd always been able to do.

"_It's alright… I promise… it's alright. I know you're hurting, but I promise you, it'll all be okay… We're family, aren't we?"_

Melanie looked to Sam, clearly wounded. She knew that her sister would've taken this pain away from her if she could've done so. She wanted to say so many things, but only a single word escaped her lips.

"Sam…"

Sam Puckett held her close.

"Shhh…"

Without another word, Sam did, publicly, something no one else had seen her do in years. She leaned close and kissed her sister gently on the cheek.

"I love you, Mel… I'll be over tonight, after they're in bed… we'll talk… just us…"

Sam knew her sister was fragile, but that she'd pull herself together and finish this session and go home. She heard something that made her blood run cold. It was the engineer working the booth today. He was a young kid, probably no older than she was.

"Excuse me, Missus Benson…"

Sam spun around and glared at him. She wanted to say so many things, but the look on her face said it all. There was nothing _to say_.

_WE'RE – BUSY – HERE! COME – ANY – CLOSER – AND – I – WILL – KILL – YOU…_

Melanie was, by far, more diplomatic.

"Five minutes, please?"

_**LATER THAT AFTERNOON…**_

The girls loved the park. Carly and Sam brought them here regularly, but they never tired of hearing all of their parents' stories, especially the story of the day when Carly had taken Sam's name as her own. The two little girls played less than a hundred yards from the spot where their parents had exchanged wedding vows. Carly and Sam made small talk with another woman, a working single mother, from what they'd been able to gather. The woman was Asian and somewhat older. She was polite, but clearly didn't know what to make of these two women who doted on one another in a way that made her somewhat uneasy. She wasn't prejudiced. She simply had no frame of reference, culturally speaking, for what their relationship meant.

Carly extended her hand gently, making a polite introduction.

Sam poked Carly gently in the ribs. She wanted her attention.

"Cupcake, Look…"

Carly turned to see her little girls playing in the sandbox with a tiny, raven-haired Asian girl of similar age. Carly watched as the new girl wrapped her little blonde into a hug, green t-shirt and all.

Carly flushed with pride. Melanie had made herself a new friend.


	8. iThrow a Fit

**iThrow a Fit**

Driving home with Wendy and Megan, Shelby Marx kept coming back to one inescapable thought.

"_Well, THAT was money well spent, Wendy…"_

Shelby felt embarrassed, but she could also see Megan's point of view, such as it was. Shelby most certainly didn't agree with a five year old over her wife. She simply understood her little girl's frustration. Whereas half of these girls, Shelby realized, would use this as a springboard to dance classes and life as pageant girls, her own tiny redhead had other ideas entirely.

She kept her eyes on the road, steering Wendy's SUV through Seattle traffic, listening to the little girl rant in the back seat as Wendy tried to reason with her. It took tremendous effort not to laugh out loud and give voice to the thought now running through her head.

"_Do you remember carrying her for nine months, my love? You had your share of irrational behavior, too…"_

Shelby loved them both. She could navigate their way home in her sleep. She turned her attention to Megan, still fussing something fierce on their way home from her first gymnastics lesson. Megan was flushed. Her face, for the first time in quite a long time, seemed to match her hair. The little one got so whipped up that she inadvertently dropped every few words from her sentence.

"_But Mommy! _Those girls… they… so… just… so… girly!"

Wendy looked at her little girl strangely. She had no idea what Megan expected from a girls' gymnastics class.

"Sweety…"

Shelby rolled her eyes, hoping Wendy didn't see. She loved both of her little redheads, but Wendy missed the mark here, big time.

"_You're trying to reason with a five year old, Wendy Sue…"_

_**LATER, BACK ON MERCER ISLAND…**_

Wendy sat at the kitchen table, nervously munching away on chips. Shelby had just brewed herself a cup of tea. She sat down and took Wendy's free hand.

"Honey… _stop worrying so much…_ She's five!"

"But Shel, why would she wig out like that?"

Shelby nearly spit the hot tea all over the table. She thought Clueless Wendy was adorable. She swallowed and simultaneously raised an eyebrow. What she wanted to ask was _'Really?'_

The champion was thankful that their little fire-haired dynamo had conked out and was now sprawled across the couple's bed.

"Wen, do you seriously need to ask that?"

"Shel, what are you getting at?"

Shelby loved this woman with all of her heart, mind, body, and soul, but _goddamn_, could Wendy be thick sometimes.

"Babe, she's never going to fit in with those girls… She's not like them…"

Wendy's eyes had glazed over. Her brain knew what Shelby was saying, but the words simply wouldn't sink in and make sense. Shelby tried again, gently. She figured Wendy was probably _way_ over-thinking this.

"Wendy, Darling… All I'm trying to say is that she's never going to be like those pageant girls… She's… well… maybe she's just in the wrong class. Why not art lessons?"

Wendy's shoulders were again slippery and loose, the way they should've been. She could do that herself. She knew that their little one could be perfectly creative. The only reason for the gymnastics class, at least from Wendy's point of view, was to help Megan along, despite Wendy's own misgivings as a mother. She exhaled deeply and leaned sidelong into her love.

"Shelby…"

The champion had a flair for the dramatic. What she did was theater, as much as anything else. She sighed as well.

"Wendy…"

Wendy Marx let out a weak laugh. She let her partner talk.

"Wendy, Darling, Love of my life… all I mean to say is that our little one isn't…" Shelby paused. She needed to navigate carefully here. One misstep and she knew Wendy would end up in tears, beating herself up for her failure as a mother. This was, simultaneously, Wendy's best and worst quality. It was the very reason Shelby had fallen in love with her in the first place. Shelby took her partner's hand in her own, drew it to her lips, and kissed the artist's slender fingers.

"Honey, Megan's just not cut out for that life…"

Shelby looked into her partner's eyes. They were glistening with tears. Wendy smiled at Shelby, warm and safe in the knowledge that Shelby would always be there for her.

"I know, Sweetheart… I know… She takes after you too much for that…"

Knowing exactly the spirit in which the comment was intended, Shelby flushed with pride. She kissed Wendy's cheek before her redhead pushed her chair out from behind the table, turned, and headed down the hall to their bedroom.

_**A FEW SHORT MOMENTS LATER…**_

Wendy Marx gently shook her daughter awake. She hoped her little girl would forgive her for that awful experience earlier in the day.

"Rise and shine, sleepyhead…"

Megan Marx shook her head loosely, shaking the cobwebs from her brain and, simultaneously, whipping her substantial red hair back and forth. Her tiny voice was clear, but tinged with sleep.

"Mommy?"

Wendy hugged her little one close.

"I love you…"

Megan squirmed. Her mother was hugging her a little bit too tightly.

"Sweety, if you don't want to go back there, we won't make you… we'll do something else…"

Megan didn't want to argue with Wendy any more. She simply let her mother hold and rock her to her heart's content. She knew, even in her young age, that this was far easier than pointing out that she was a big girl and didn't need Mommy fussing over her every minute.

There was no denying the fact that Megan was biologically a part of Wendy. Shelby's better half routinely referred to her as _'my little mini-me'_, which Megan found both silly and adorable all at the same time. She and her Mommy looked alike, but she was Megan, her own little person.

Wendy noticed something on the bed. Megan had helped herself to the contents of her mother's private shelf of the nightstand.

The little girl looked at Wendy, immediately scared.

"Please don't be mad at me, Mommy…"

There was no way Wendy would ever be.

Megan had helped herself to one of Wendy's many spare sketchbooks and her expensive colored pencils. Wendy was stunned. Megan was only five years old, but showed artistic skill and attention to detail that some artists four or five times her age hadn't mastered. Wendy wanted to cry, it was so touching. Megan had drawn the three of them – Wendy, Shelby, and herself – together. This wasn't a child's drawing, by any means. It was clear that Megan had inherited more than her red hair from Wendy.


	9. iListen to Reason

**iListen to Reason**

Sam let herself into her sister's house. Melanie was, of course, expecting her, but still, Sam did things her way.

She'd kissed Carly and rushed out the door as soon as the munchkins were tucked into bed. Freddie had taken a wad of cash and told Mel that he was _'going for a drive'._ He did this frequently now. He loved his wife immensely, but he knew that she needed her space. He took off and headed for what he knew. He would park in the garage at Bushwell Plaza and hoof it the rest of the way. He'd done this before. He had made a concerted effort. He wasn't putting Melanie out of his mind, but he did want to otherwise occupy his mind tonight. The first three times, this had been awkward. Now, it was simply uncomfortable. He knew that this wasn't _really_ the answer, but it felt right enough. A large cheese pizza wouldn't solve his problems, but it would displace them for a while.

_**MEANWHILE, BACK AT CASA DE BENSON…**_

Melanie exited the bathroom, not having bothered to tie her robe just yet. She was too far lost in her own thoughts. She opened her eyes and found herself face to face with, well, _herself._

"Jesus! Knock next time, would you _please_, Samantha!"

Sam smiled stupidly, flushing ever so slightly. She and her sister had nothing to hide from one another, and, being identical, Melanie really left nothing to the imagination. Still, it was like seeing Freddie naked. She'd avoid it at all costs, if she could. She walked over to her sister, who had now cinched her bathrobe shut.

"What kind of cat burglar knocks and announces themselves?"

It took Melanie a moment. She was confused.

"Wait… what are you… Oh, dammit, don't tell me…. You did, didn't you?"

Sam smirked.

"Well, _there_ goes a perfectly good security system…"

The girls laughed. Sam held her sister, whispering in her ear.

"Relax… That husband of yours really isn't the sharpest tool in the shed… Next time, hide your spare key somewhere else…"

With one quick movement, Sam Puckett tossed a small copper colored key onto Freddie and Melanie's breakfast table, where it landed with a slight clang.

Melanie grinned, falling into her sister's arms.

"I love you, Samantha… I just don't know… how can I talk to Freddie about this? I mean…"

Sam shushed her.

"I know, I know… Lord knows you've been trying… but doesn't that mess up your career plans? Put a tour and stuff on hold?"

Melanie had just done a tour the previous year, North America predominantly, with a handful of European shows for good measure. Being the devoted one, she toted the entire family along with her. It hadn't been easy to tote twin four-year-olds across the United States, into and out of four other countries, on long flights, but Carly and Sam managed beautifully. That was when Mel and Freddie had come to the decision that they wanted to start a family.

"None of that matters… I can do most everything here… it's not like I don't have options…"

Sam held her twin close and tight. She wanted her to think clearly and make this decision for the right reasons.

"Look, Mel… We're family, and you know Carls and I will support you in whatever… but are you _sure?"_

It really wasn't much of a question at all. Sam Puckett could essentially read her sister's mind. The weepy blonde nodded into Sam's chest, in the affirmative.

"Alright… okay…"

Melanie gushed, the floodgates of emotion now open.

"Alright… _I said okay!"_

Sam didn't hear it, but, instead, felt it. Melanie was chuckling. The formerly-Mythical one knew how her sister operated, and they could talk like this – in a way no one else would ever understand – whenever, wherever, and without reservation. Sam, however, always insisted that their sisterly heart to heart conversations be private. Nothing but an empty house would do. She could give a damn about her childish reputation – what Shelby Marx called her _"street cred"_ – but was more concerned with Melanie. She'd caused the little princess more than her share of pain when they were younger. The fact that they had ever been antagonistic to one another ate Sam up inside. They were twins. They were a minute apart in age. They were identical in every respect, save for the fact that The Nub got Mel all hot and bothered. Sam _still_ couldn't figure that one out. She'd given up on that a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away. They could always act like children – the four of them – but they hadn't been in years. Sam refused to cause her sister one iota of unnecessary pain. She gently rocked Melanie in her arms, as though she was a whipped up Cupcake. She kissed Melanie firmly on the cheek.

"Look, Mel, whatever you want, Honey, your back is got… Trust me. I just want you to realize what you're getting into here…"

Melanie knew her sister was teasing, but looked at her with pleading, teary, slightly swollen blue eyes.

"Sam…"

"Alright, alright, alright… Don't say I didn't try to warn you here, Princess. Auntie Sam will do an awful lot of things, but just remember, I don't do diapers."

That was a lie, and Melanie knew it. When the twins were tiny, Sam had refused to allow Carly to lift a finger. Sam was a phenomenal parent, irrespective of gender, orientation, or any label anyone could ever throw at her. Melanie knew Sam was hitting her with some tough love to see if her heart was truly in it.

Sam, of course, knew she didn't need to ask. She gave her sister a silly, crooked smile – the same one she'd given her when they were small – before continuing.

"Mel, you do realize that all they do is eat, cry, and smell weird, right?"

Melanie burst out laughing.

"For crying out loud, Samantha… they… Yes, I understand that…"

She looked into her sister's eyes and realized what Carly saw in her. Her sister was a good woman.

Sam kissed her sister directly on the forehead, just as she used to when they were small.

"I'll put you in touch with Carly's… you know… her…."

Sam flushed. Melanie finished the thought herself, laughing as she said it.

"You know, you can simply call her a doctor, Samantha…"

Sam held her twin close, not caring about the embarrassment flushing through her body. It didn't matter. Blood was, of course, far thicker than water.


	10. iMake House Calls

**iMake House Calls**

It was an awkward morning. Sam was in Melanie's living room, pacing. She'd sent Carly and the girls to the zoo with Freddie. She figured that was a reasonable day trip for the four of them. She loved her family, but she knew that _this_ needed to be kept absolutely private – simply _between them_.

In the past five years, Ashley Sharkey had been much more than Carly's 'lady-doctor'. Sam was always uncomfortable with her official title. To Sam, she was just a 'lady-doctor'. The good doctor and her partner had become Carly and Sam's close friends. They weren't as chummy as Wendy and Shelby, of course, but they always ate on the house at _Il Terrazzo Carmine_, and they always would. Sam's children were worth far more than the occasional free meal.

"Sam… really, it's alright…" Melanie fussed from the kitchen. She appreciated her sister's devotion, but, even identical, there were parts of her anatomy that were off limits.

Sam waved Melanie off. "Shush, Princess… You think I could risk letting the Nub…"

Melanie blushed, both out of embarrassment and anger.

"Samantha Puckett! You know I love him… and it seems to me that whenever you've needed anything, who do you call? My husband, the Nub…"

Sam shrugged sheepishly. It was true. He was dependable, in a nubby sort of way.

There was a knock at the door, followed by another.

"Oh, for goodness sake…. Let the woman in, Samantha…"

Sam was a great many things, but she was no butler. Nonetheless, she buttled. She whipped open the large, heavy front door and welcomed the doctor in.

"Hey Doc…"

The doctor stood there, looking very little like a physician. She stood there in jeans and a polo shirt, her eyes hidden behind dark prescription sunglasses.

"Sam?"

"Yep… We _are _identical, you know…"

"Yo, Sweet Cheeks… Doctor Lady's here…"

Melanie let out a playful groan, scurrying in from the kitchen, shaking Doctor Sharkey's hand politely and demurely.

"Please _do_ excuse my sister… her manners leave a bit to be desired, I'm afraid."

Dr. Sharkey blushed slightly. It was nothing she wasn't used to.

"Oh, Sam's not a problem… It's a pleasure to see you again, Melanie, although, I must admit, it would be so much nicer under other circumstances…"

From her disposition, Melanie wondered if her new physician had also attended her prestigious boarding school. Ashley Sharkey reminded Melanie, in a great many respects, of Carly. The soft, sweet, yet resigned smile was clearly something Carly would do. It said to Melanie _'I'm so sorry, but I'm here to help'. _This woman was the same as she'd been five years previously, when they'd met during Carly's initial consultation. She attempted to put Melanie Benson at ease, making small talk rather than discussing the matter directly.

"Oh, Sam… Thanks again, for dinner."

"Welcome."

"And here…"

She reached into her purse and removed a small family portrait, showing the good doctor, her partner, and a little boy who appeared to be slightly younger than Carly and Sam's twins.

"I can't believe he turns four in a few weeks…"

She instantly knew she shouldn't have said a word. It wasn't professional. She had mixed her personal and professional lives. In this instance, of course, it was unavoidable, but she still felt awful. She could sense that Melanie had taken her moment of parental pride immediately to heart.

"Melanie, I'm sorry… I…"

Melanie smiled. She hadn't thought anything of it.

"Don't worry about it… You're a mom…"

Dr. Sharkey didn't know if Melanie was simply being sweet, or if she truly wasn't phased by her ethical slip. She smiled. She wanted to thank her without putting it into words.

Melanie knew. This woman was trying to be so many things all at one time, it was understandable if the waters muddied from time to time. She gave her a soft, yet understanding look. All was forgiven and forgotten. She was only human, after all.

_**A SHORT TIME LATER…**_

Melanie nodded as she looked over a few notes she had made. If it came to it and this woman officially became responsible for her medical care, Melanie knew she was in good hands. She saw the reasons why every single day.

"So… do you have an opinion, as to… _you know_… why…?"

Melanie knew she was asking a loaded question, and, realistically, one to which there was no answer. She had to ask it anyway. If there was any way of knowing, she needed to.

Sam's friend gave her the most dispassionate, clinical response she was able.

"There could be a number of factors at play, of course, but without doing any number of tests, it'd only be guesswork on my part, but if you'd like to consider…"

Sam, suddenly a medical scholar, decided to jump in and offer her own two cents.

"…like Carly did…"

Melanie flushed. This was embarrassing enough, but to have Sam jump in was akin to having Sam know exactly what went on inside her bedroom at night. It was beyond awkward.

"Samantha… _please_…"

Melanie swatted at Sam's hand, rapping her across the knuckles.

The only credentialed medical professional in the room decided to speak up.

"Is that something that you'd consider?"

Sitting next to her sister on the sofa, Mythical Melanie got choked up. She swallowed, sending the emotion down into the pit of her stomach. She looked Carly's doctor clearly in the eye, watery blue eyes meeting pale green ones.

"Yes, of course, but…"

The good doctor had, in anticipation of any number of questions, gone with the answer that she thought would suffice.

"I can treat you under some other name, if privacy's a concern… we can make something work…"

Melanie shrugged. She hadn't thought that far ahead, but they did come to an agreement. She would give things one more try before going the route that Carly and Sam had taken. It wasn't the route she had envisioned towards parenthood, but it was something that, unbeknownst to Sam, Melanie and Freddie had already discussed in detail. They had agreed that they would do whatever it took to become parents. They wanted a family as badly as Carly and Sam had. Either way, they agreed that this woman would be her doctor. The fact that her sister had trusted this woman with Carly's health and welfare spoke volumes. Nothing further needed to be said. Mythical Melanie wanted to be a mommy.


	11. iMarital Discord

**iMarital Discord**

Shelby loved mornings like this. Weekend mornings were her reasons for being lazy and laying around with Wendy and Megan. These were the two days a week that she could rest up, such as it was, and feel something like a normal person.

Megan flounced down on the sofa heavily, in the negative space between Wendy and Shelby.

"I love it when you're home, Mama…"

Shelby loved it as much as Megan did. Wendy held Shelby's hand gently, running her fingers over Shelby's battle scarred hands. Shelby had fought wars in the ring, surviving unscathed. Wendy remembered those days as though they were yesterday. She should. Those nightmares still woke her to this day.

"Shelby…"

The champion knew where her partner's mind had gone. In Wendy's world, everything would be puppies, kisses, and roses. Wendy was the eternal optimist. She was what Shelby always aspired to being.

Shelby Marx felt Wendy's fingers curl in her's. She answered both her partner and the little girl in the same breath.

"I love you both…"

Wendy adored Shelby, but they'd argued recently over Shelby taking Megan to the gym so often. If there was one thing that Wendy Marx did _not_ want, it was another fighter in the family. Shelby countered with the fact that she was simply being a supportive parent, exposing the little girl to something she had an interest in.

Shelby had loved Wendy too hard and too long to let the wheels come off over something like this. Megan chimed in. She wanted Wendy to understand.

"Don't be mad at Mama, Mommy… I like it there…"

Wendy tried cool detachment. She didn't want her little girl to know what this really meant to her. Her little person brain couldn't possibly understand what this was all about.

"Megan… Sweetheart…. It's…"

Wendy was emotional, but she choked it all down. This wasn't the time or the place. Shelby finished her wife's sentence.

"Sweety, you're a little person, and I completely understand why Mommy doesn't want you there. She's afraid of you getting hurt, just like I am."

Megan jumped into Wendy's lap, snuggling her mother close.

"Please don't be mad at Mama… I be real careful, I _promise…_"

Wendy heard the pleading in her daughter's voice. She never wanted to deny her child anything, even if it meant… unpleasant things. She looked, weakly, into Shelby's eyes. She knew, in her heart of hearts, that Shelby would never let anything happen to their baby. She was giving her big, strong fighter the cold shoulder unnecessarily. Shelby answered the question that Wendy hadn't yet asked.

"Yes, Wendy Sue… I can guarantee you she's safe. It's not like I'm training her… I'm just showing her what I did way back when we first met."

Wendy blushed. She could sense the laughter in Shelby's voice, insinuating that they had become _oh, so old_. Shelby continued. She knew Wendy wouldn't like this.

"I've been thinking… _just thinking…_ about… maybe… kinda… putting the gloves on again…"

Wendy looked mortified. She looked to her little girl, speaking in a sweet, motherly voice that clearly meant all was not well in the Marx household.

"Megan, go to your room, Sweetpea. Mama and I need to talk…"

The little redhead wasn't stupid. She knew what this meant. She _was_ a Marx, after all.

"You and Mama gonna fight, aren't you? I don't want you to fight. I loves you both…"

Wendy's shoulders drooped. She looked into Shelby's warm eyes. They belonged to her first, last, and only lover. She couldn't stay mad at Shelby, no matter how much she tried. She no longer cared that Megan was sandwiched between them.

"Shelby, _please…_ don't… you've been retired _five years…_"

Shelby exhaled deeply. Had Wendy not heard one word that she'd said?

"I said I was _thinking_ about it, Wendy, _just thinking…_"

Megan looked excited. Big girl that she was, she'd just done the math in her head and come to a wonderful realization.

"Mama retired…"

She gently poked Wendy's bellybutton. Wendy smiled, giggled, and answered the child.

"Yes, honey… before you were born…"

Shelby flushed with pride. It was a wonderful memory. The day that Megan Victoria Marx came into the world was the single best day of Shelby's existence, bar-none. It outshone the day that she, at fifteen, became the youngest champion ever. It burned brighter than the night that Wendy had called and they had made their first date. It was more amazing even than the night that Shelby had dropped to her knees, begging Ridgeway's resident art geek to be hers forever. Shelby would do anything in the world for the lanky little redhead she and Wendy had brought into the world. It was her maternal pride – wanting to show the little one _what Mama could do_ – that allowed her to entertain the notion of strapping on the gloves and climbing into the ring again. It was her love for Wendy that told her – deep down in the pit of her stomach – that this needed to stay relegated to the world of fantasy, no matter how much money sponsors and TV people threw at her feet. No less than Sam Puckett herself had pointed out, rather astutely, that she wasn't _'as young as Springtime no more'_, insinuating that, no matter how expertly trained, no matter how in shape, that maybe, _just maybe_, the greatest champion in CFC history had lost a step or two.

Wendy felt Shelby's hand clench in hers. She knew Shelby had something to say, but she had no idea what. The familiar knot rose in her throat again. She was afraid for Shelby in a way she hadn't been over the past five years.

"Wendy?"

The redhead held her hand and blinked, fighting off tears. She didn't want this.

"The sponsors and TV people laid out a pretty lucrative package… _very_ lucrative, actually. It's pretty substantial…"

Wendy felt like she was going to be sick, right here, probably all over the coffee table.

"…But I told them that they could go to…"

Shelby realized her little girl was still in Wendy's lap. She was immediately a responsible parent and censored herself.

"…uh… _heck_… and that I was retired. I told them I had a family to think about…"

Megan tugged at Shelby's t-shirt.

"So no TV, Mama?"

"No TV, Pumpkin…"

"But you still gonna get in a fight with Auntie Sam?"

Both Wendy and Shelby laughed. Their little girl was a handful.


	12. iTake Remedial Biology

**iTake Remedial Biology**

Freddie Benson came home early that afternoon, or at least earlier than Melanie had expected. He walked into his home followed by Carly and two bouncy, sugared-up little girls. He nodded to each woman in his living room, addressing them in turn.

"Sweetheart… Maam… Blonde Headed Demon…"

Melanie and Sam both laughed, knowing fully well that this was Freddie being funny, but also Freddie trying to diffuse a situation that he felt powerless in. He knew and respected Carly's friend the doctor. He knew what her specialty was and why she was here. Their paths had crossed several times over the past five years, primarily at the restaurant and at Carly and Sam's social functions, as the doctor and her partner had become friendly with the pair around the time that the twins were born. All the girls knew was that she was Mommy's friend. Little Ashley knew that this was the woman she'd been named for, in addition to being the nice lady who invited them to Cobras football games a few times a year. The little girls ran immediately to Melanie. They'd missed their famous Auntie Mel. She was like Mama, except different.

Melanie loved both girls dearly. She was radiant, smiling and laughing, as the little twins hugged her legs.

"Did you have a good time at the zoo, Pumpkins?"

Ashley Puckett smiled. She was _such_ a mini-Sam.

"Yeah, huh… We saw the lions!"

Melanie beamed.

"Lions, huh? What did you think?"

"For being big and scary lookin', they sure do sleep a lot…"

Melanie and Sam laughed, which got Freddie and Carly chuckling.

Sam looped her arm around her famous sister's waist, low and tight, similar to how she held Carly when they were out on a walk through the park or alone, enjoying their private time. This was Sam's way of telling Melanie that they were one and that she loved her without verbalizing it. She could say it in private, but there were far too many people around now.

Melanie knew what would be discussed next. She didn't need her sister's children in the room when her private life with Freddie was the topic of the day. She knew that this woman, with her stringent code of ethics, needed reminding that there were no secrets in her family. She would share anything under the sun with her sister, Carly, and Freddie. She simply needed the doctor to understand. She spoke to the little girls, knowing fully well that everyone else was paying attention.

"Girls, how 'bout we go play in the other room, just the three of us?"

The twins didn't need to be told twice. All that they wanted was time alone with their favorite famous auntie. Melanie Benson knew that look in their eyes. She should. She'd seen it on Sam's face countless times over the years, from childhood all the way on up to adulthood. The lazy, glazed-over look meant that the girls were absolutely exhausted. Leading them from the room, Melanie innately knew that the matched and perfect set of miniature Pucketts would be passed out on the waterbed she and Freddie shared within half an hour.

_**TWENTY MINUTES LATER…**_

Melanie Benson tiptoed back into her living room, this time sans twins, as her new doctor was detailing the procedure, seemingly for Freddie's benefit, as though he had forgotten what area of medicine she specialized in in the past sixty months, since Carly and Sam had sought her out. Melanie knew her husband was uncomfortable. He knew _how_ the process worked. He, like Melanie, wanted to know _why_ things hadn't been working the way nature had intended. He flushed and lost the ability to speak. Melanie jumped in and saved him.

"What my modest little tech boy is trying to say is that he has the same basic questions that I had…"

Melanie was on a roll. Barely pausing for a breath, she interrupted Carly before the brunette even had a chance to speak.

"… and yes, Carly, the girls are sound asleep on our bed, thank you very much, so there's no need to be concerned for their precious little ears… We're all adults here…"

Carly blushed. Sam took the Cupcake's hand in hers. Carly could feel the soft thumping inside Sam's chest and she casually rested her head there. Sam was laughing. Too embarrassed to speak, Carly simply let herself be held. Sam kissed her quickly on the cheek, as though to say it wasn't their place to butt in, as much as she may have wanted to. Sam had decided that not only would she speak for her little Cupcake, but her sister as well. She nodded to the one person in the room who _should have been_ talking, allowing her to continue where she'd left off.

"…As I was saying earlier, yours is an interesting family dynamic, in that you're so close, both emotionally and otherwise. Now, speaking as Melanie's physician…"

The doctor paused, as though seeking assurance from the blonde that she _was_, in fact, able to speak as her physician. A brief smile and gentle nod were what Mythical Melanie could manage. She liked this woman very much, but there were moments when she needed to work on her self-confidence. The fact that she was _here_ should have been confirmation enough.

"…Okay… well, speaking as Melanie's physician, she's made it abundantly clear in what few private conversations we've had that everything is to be shared amongst the remaining three of you. Now, it goes without saying that her…" The good doctor paused for a moment, trying to find the right phraseology. "…professional obligations… pose another hurdle, but that isn't anything that can't be worked around…"

Freddie felt like he was back in Freshman Biology at Ridgeway. He gingerly – and stupidly – raised his hand.

"Yes, Freddie?"

"Uh… umm…."

Sam steamrolled her way in and helped him out. It seemed that, for the first time in her life, she was fluent in Nub.

"What the boy's trying to ask is… you know, Doc… if things can't just take their course first, I think…"

Freddie turned magenta. That was, in a nutshell, exactly what he had wanted to ask, but hadn't figured out a polite way of phrasing it.

Melanie's new doctor smiled brightly, hoping to reassure young Mister Benson.

"Oh, but of course! Either way, she's now my patient and we'll discuss this in greater depth once we know exactly what way we're headed."

Freddie knew this woman was doing her best, but he was still nervous. He leaned into Sam's opposite side. She was a blonde headed demon, there was no doubt about that, but the fact of the matter was that he loved her, regardless.


	13. iNeed You To Understand

**iNeed You To Understand**

Freddie Benson sat on the edge of his bed that night, Melanie's hand in his, both resting in his lap. The pretty blonde let her head fall sidelong onto his shoulder and chest.

"I love you, you know…"

She could feel the heat as Freddie flushed with embarrassment.

"I know, Sweety… I know…"

Melanie blamed herself. This was her husband. She could do anything under the sun that she set her mind to, but the most basic, hardwired, biological imperative seemed impossible.

She wanted a child.

"Mel… Baby…"

Melanie's emotions were all over the map. She simultaneously loved and resented her husband. She loved and resented her sister. She wanted to be the one fussed over and doted on for the next nine months.

"What, Freddie? What?"

Freddie felt assaulted. He knew that his wife was hurting, but this was so unlike her. This felt like he had mistakenly taken Sam to bed.

"Honey, I know…"

Melanie cut him off. She was hormonal and irritable. She knew that he loved her, but she lashed out at him because he was safe and because it was easy.

"No, you don't know! Do you have any idea how it feels to love someone unconditionally, for all of your life, and be faced with… with… with…. everyday?"

Melanie's hyperventilation drowned out what she wanted to say, but Freddie knew. Freddie always knew. He knew every line and curve that the former Melanie Puckett had to offer. He knew exactly why she was upset, but he said nothing. He simply held her, kissed her gently, and let her continue. He knew that she needed to let go of the pent-up frustration. He touched her hand. It felt as though the dam, holding everything back, had finally given way.

"I love them, Freddie… I love you all… but…"

He interrupted her. He knew how to finish her sentence.

"…but you want what Sam has. Honey, I get it…"

Melanie felt disgusted with herself. She couldn't believe that she'd allowed herself to internalize all of this. Freddie kept talking.

"Honey, I know… You can't blame anyone for what's happened… Those girls _adore_ you…"

Melanie knew. She smiled.

"They look exactly like us when we were that age…"

Freddie held her, kissing her firmly on the cheek. He needed Melanie to understand that everything was going to be just fine.

_**MEANWHILE, NEXT DOOR…**_

Carly laid back in bed, her head resting on Sam's chest. She stared at the ceiling, while talking to the blonde.

"I feel so badly for Freddie and Melanie…"

"Cupcake, so do I, but there isn't much that we can do about it. It's not our fault if the Nub's shooting blanks…"

Carly was upset.

"Samantha Puckett! Not only is he our brother-in-law… You just… After everything they have done for us… how can you say something like that?"

Sam was cut deep. She was wrong and she knew it.

"Carls… I… _you know…_"

Carly knew. They had both overreacted. Carly knew, deep down, that Sam loved Freddie nearly as much as she loved her or her sister. Sam just simply had trouble expressing her emotions like a normal person.

"Cupcake… I… what if… what if they tried to take the girls away from us?"

Sam's brain had turned into goo and threatened to fall right out of her ear.

"Sam… you and I both know nothing like that would ever happen… They _are_ yours, biologically, which means they're _ours_, and you know that… Freddie and Melanie don't have it in them to hurt either of us."

Carly hated nights like this. When Sam was stressed, her inner demons ripped holes in her chest, allowing the concentrated poison, so many years old, to ooze back to the surface. Sam was being illogical and superficial and wounded – everything that years of Carly's love had tried to soothe away.

The brunette touched the blonde's bare stomach gently. Her fingertips were enough to get rid of all the pain.

"Samantha…"

Sam exhaled deeply. She knew that she was safe.

"I'm sorry, Carls… You know that I don't…"

"Sam… Hush. I _told you_… It's alright. Melanie and Freddie love you and so do I."

Carly shifted her weight, flipping over, and lowered herself onto Sam. The brunette kissed her softly.

"Sam…"

Carly's voice was soft, lilting, and light. Nearly a decade of experience told Sam that there were two times when Carly talked like this. Sam knew that this was either her partner's _'bedroom voice'_ or her Cupcake was up to something.

Carly's lips found Sam's again, slightly more playful this time.

"Sam… I've been thinking…"

That was it. Sam knew she was in trouble now. Whenever Carls was _'thinking'_, that usually meant that her mind was already made up and that Sam was expected to fall in line.

"Yes, Dear?"

Carly giggled.

_**BACK AT CASA DE BENSON…**_

Melanie was ecstatic. She snuggled, naked, under the covers into the contours of her husband's hip. Her breathing was settling back into a normal rhythm.

"Honey… that… I…"

Freddie kissed her forehead.

"I love you too, Melanie…"

In their five years together, Melanie Benson was hard-pressed to think of an intimate moment that had set her world on fire more than what she had just experienced. If she had to venture a guess, only their very first time would even compare.

Freddie touched her gently, brushing a tangle of blonde hair from her face.

"Sweetheart?"

She blinked and let out a small yawn.

Freddie chuckled. She had, in his opinion, that glazed over, _'deer in the headlights'_ sort of look.

Melanie was still in awe of him. She loved him completely. There had never been any other man in her life and there would never be. He knew every inch of her body, particularly those minute ways that she differed from her twin sister. She didn't want to say a word. She simply wanted to lie here, in the bed they'd shared for the past half-decade, and admire him. He wasn't ruggedly handsome, in that traditional cowboy-movie star sense. He wasn't _that kind of man_, but he was Her Man. She found him utterly beautiful, down to the way that his muscles worked, when his entire body was dedicated to an express, singular purpose. She kissed him firmly on the mouth and collapsed onto his chest again. She loved Freddie Benson more than life and she wanted to spend the entire night proving it to him.


	14. iRun to Sam

**iRun to Sam**

Sam was frustrated. She marched to the front door fuming under her breath. It was Sunday morning. She had just cooked breakfast for herself and her three little Cupcakes. Who in God's name thought that it was a good idea to disturb _that_?

Sam yanked the door open and found herself face-to-face with her sister, tears streaming down her face.

"Mel? What the Chizz is the matter? Do I need to kill the Nub?"

Sam was so stupid, but Melanie couldn't help but love her. Melanie sobbed, falling into Sam's arms, babbling in a way that only Sam understood.

The twins, terribly confused by the fact that Auntie Melanie would come here this early in the morning without Uncle Freddie and in tears, wanted to run to her. The little girls wanted to do their part in protecting one of their favorite big people.

Carly knew better.

"Girls, please go to your room…"

The children disagreed. They _were_ Pucketts, after all.

"Mommy, no…"

Carly was a bit taken aback.

Sam spoke sternly and firmly, without so much as turning around. She didn't raise her voice, but she wanted the twins to understand that this was absolutely _not_ open for discussion.

"Girls…"

They understood. They knew better than to fuss at Mama. In unison, Sam heard two little voices, resigned to their fate.

"Yes, Maam…"

Sam listened intently. She heard two pair of tiny little feet scamper down the hall. It paid to be Mama.

Sam led her twin into the house, holding her all the while. She wasn't even watching where she was going, just navigating from sheer memory. Sam held her sister's head in her hands, eyes focused on one another. Sam called out orders to Carly the same way she'd addressed the twins, never even looking.

"Carls?"

The brunette knew.

"I know, I'm way ahead of you, Babe…"

Carly pushed herself away from the breakfast table and ran into the kitchen. She knew exactly how Sam and Melanie liked their coffee. This was obviously important.

_**TWENTY MINUTES LATER…**_

The three women sat on the sofa, Melanie leaning into Sam's shoulder and chest. She was more composed now, but her eyes were still puffy and red. Leave it to Sam to break the ice.

"What the hell do you mean _'you just know_'?"

"I just know, Samantha…"

"Well you didn't know yesterday afternoon…"

Carly jumped in.

"Sam!"

"Well, she didn't, Cupcake… and now she '_just knows'_? She's mental!"

"Sam!"

Sam didn't get it. Carly understood perfectly. The brunette looked to her famous sister-in-law. At least _she_ knew how to be gentle, even if Sam didn't.

"Melanie… forgive me for being… _you know_, a little insensitive… but…"

Carly was accustomed to all sorts of conversations with Melanie, but this one gave her pause. She didn't want to put it into words. It wasn't polite.

Melanie saved her the embarrassment.

"To answer your question, Carly, Yes…"

The entire family operated under the same general rule. One wouldn't ask and the other wouldn't tell. It served them well for years, but today was different.

Sam still didn't understand how the Princess could _'just know'_ or how Carls got all whipped up over nothing, but she just went along with it. She figured it was best to just ride it out, even if the Cupcake needed to do all the talking.

She did.

"Melanie, are you sure? I mean, _you're sure_ you're sure?"

Melanie laughed.

"_Yes, Carly…_ Yes, I'm sure…"

Carly didn't doubt it. She had two perfectly valid reasons to believe that Melanie Benson was psychic, and both of them called her 'Mommy'.

"Does Freddie know?"

"No… he was in the shower this morning, and I… Sam…"

Sam held her sister around the waist.

"What, Princess?"

"I'm sorry… for being… _you know_…"

Sam knew. She could never blame Melanie. If the tables had been turned, Sam would've been jealous as all hell too. She shushed Melanie. This ended now.

"Shhh… That's not important now… Go on, Cupcake…"

Sam nodded and Carly kept talking.

"Well, do you have anything else to go on other than... you _just knowing_, although I don't discount what you feel, Sweety…"

Melanie shook her head No.

_**MOMENTS LATER…**_

Carly was jabbering away into her cell phone as the twins wandered back into the living room.

"Ash? Hey, it's Carly… Look, I know it's the weekend, but it's about Melanie… No… no, Sam's sister… We think…"

Carly noticed two pair of tiny eyes hanging on her every word.

"Could you just come over? Thanks!"

Carly was in an impossible position. She needed to get out from between a rock and a hard place and did so the simplest, most reasonable way she knew how.

"Sam…"

Sam's ears perked up that cute way that Carly loved. It showed that Sam was sensitive to anything Carly would ever need. Just the sound of the brunette's voice was enough to thrust Sam into action. The blonde immediately knew what to do. She bounced off the couch and headed for the door.

"C'mon Girls… who wants to go find your Uncle Freddie?"

That was all that needed to be said. The twins loved their Uncle Freddie very much and they thought it was strange to see Auntie Mel without him. The twins followed their Mama out the front door, leaving Carly alone with Melanie. No sooner had Sam shut the door behind the three of them, Carly threw Melanie into a tight hug.

"Oh Sweety, I can't tell you how happy I am for you… I mean, we'll wait to celebrate until we know for sure, but…."

Melanie Benson wanted to cry. She simply sat there, allowing herself to be held by the former Carly Shay.

"Carly, I… You know I love the girls…."

Carly knew what was on Melanie's mind.

"Melanie, hush… I know. No matter how much you love our babies, you'll still look at them and see little you and little Sam and you want your own… Honey, don't you think I know? Sometimes I think _they_ know too…"

Melanie was stunned.

"You didn't…?"

"Honey, please… Of course I didn't! How do you explain to them, at their age, how they came into the world?"

Melanie simply smiled through her irrational foolishness and let Carly hold her. If all went well, she had plenty more time to act the part of a bubble headed blonde. In this moment, Melanie felt a comfort she'd previously only known in the arms of her sister and her husband. It was as though nothing else existed in the world. Melanie knew that life was good and was bound to get even more amazing.


	15. iNeed Some Down Time

**iNeed Some Down Time**

It had been a week since Melanie had told Freddie. Her intuition had been confirmed by Carly's doctor friend, not to mention several over-the-counter tests purchased by Carly. There was no way Sam could have purchased such things. That was far too girly. The thought made Sam's skin crawl, her sister or not.

Freddie had gone absolutely manic. A week later and he still couldn't believe it. He was going to be a dad. He had no idea what he was doing, but he had learned to settle down and accept the truth of the matter. When he did, it hit him like a ton of bricks – literally.

Carly stomped around their bedroom in a huff.

"Sam!"

Sam wasn't paying attention. Carly was cute when she was angry, strutting around, hands on her hips, clucking away about how bad Sam was. The blonde loved it. She loved _her_. She still failed to see what she'd done wrong. Carly still had her hands on her hips, all cute, and was still fussing at her.

"Why did you do that? Melanie loves him, Honey… and the kids… you know how special he is to them…"

"Carls…"

This was going nowhere.

"Don't you '_Carls'_ me, Samantha Puckett! That was so juvenile of you! You could have really hurt him!"

Sam really didn't understand what the big deal was. She did her best to diffuse the situation. She grabbed Carly around the waist and pulled her close. Sam could do the _'bedroom voice'_, too.

"Cupcake… please…"

"Don't you '_Cupcake'_ me and go all wifey and snuggly, Sam… What make you think that it was appropriate to get all swingy and hit him with a big buttery sock?"

Sam shrugged. It seemed so obvious.

"He was being all nubby and stupid and wasn't listening…"

"So that gave you the right to knock him in the head?"

Sam tried to explain. Carly giggled. Sam could be so stupid sometimes, but there was a method to her madness. Carly thought of Sam a bit like a chimp at the zoo – she could be wild and unpredictable, but with a little bit of love, care, and food, she could be quite lovable. She drew Sam close. They were now at the foot of their bed. Carly was suddenly very glad that Wendy and Shelby had volunteered to watch the kids for them this morning.

_**LATER THAT MORNING, A SHORT DISTANCE AWAY…**_

The Marx house was packed. Wendy had volunteered to take the twins off of Carly and Sam's hands. Freddie and Melanie were off running baby-related errands and from the sound of things when Carly had called this morning, the Pucketts needed some Alone Time. Wendy wasn't sure if she was right or not, but she chalked it up to a hunch. Megan and Ashley were off doing their own thing while Melanie Puckett had been drafted into service in Wendy Marx's kitchen. The little blonde rather liked Megan's mommy. The pretty redheaded lady reminded her of Mommy. She was incredibly sweet and it was much more fun in the kitchen than it was being ignored by the other two. Wendy made small talk with the little girl as they continued making sugar cookies.

"So, are you excited about your auntie having a baby?"

The little Puckett girl took an immediate interest in the kitchen floor.

"Kinda…"

Wendy noticed the sadness in the little girl's voice. Always a mom, she touched the little girl's back – just like Carly did – right at shoulder level.

"Why only _'kinda'_, Sweety?"

Wendy heard the little girl sniffle. She immediately became the gentle one. She knew this girl was an awful lot like Carly Shay. She was the soft, cuddly, gentle twin.

"Miss Wendy?"

Shelby's better half smiled. Carly and Sam had raised their babies well. They were certainly polite.

"What is it, Sweetheart?"

"I want Uncle Freddie and Auntie Mel to be happy, but I don't want them to forget about me…"

Wendy was conflicted. She wanted to laugh and cry all in the same moment. Her heart hurt for the little girl who looked identical to her childhood crush, but the tone of her voice instantly brought a smile to Wendy's face. She walked a very fine line. She didn't want to hurt the little girl's feelings any more than they already had been.

"Cookies can wait for a few minutes…"

This was only half true. Wendy's house constantly smelled like a bakery. She made fresh cookies, muffins, and breads constantly. It was more to cater to her wife's sweet tooth than her daughter's. She shuttled Carly's little munchkin to the kitchen table, ready to offer her one of the fresh chocolate chip cookies that had come out of the oven less than ten minutes earlier. Just as she did in her private life, Wendy Marx believed in diversity.

"I'll get you glass of milk, okay?"

"Thank you…"

_**TEN MINUTES LATER…**_

Melanie Puckett felt much better now, if for no other reason than her tiny little tummy was now full of warm cookies. It was also evident by the chocolate smudges around her mouth. She was a tiny version of Sam in so many ways. She was very happy that Mommy's friend would listen to her. Wendy Marx had told the little girl that everything would be okay. No matter what, Freddie and Melanie Benson would love their nieces as much as they always had.

The front door swung open and Shelby walked in, a black motorcycle helmet under her arm. Wendy hated the idea of Shelby and motorcycles, but her honey was always safe. That plus the leather pants made Wendy okay with it. Shelby unzipped her leather jacket and walked straight toward the kitchen table.

"Oooh, cookies…"

She kissed Wendy gently on the cheek.

"You okay, Babe?"

Wendy smiled. Shelby tousled the little blonde mop of hair seated at her kitchen table.

"Hey Kiddo…"

"Hi, Miss Shelby…"

Shelby Marx dropped her head and kissed the little girl's head. She loved Carly and Sam's little people as much as her own.

Footsteps thundered down Shelby and Wendy's back hallway, leading from Megan's room. Little Megan Marx came flying, Ashley Puckett in tow.

"Mama!"

Shelby caught both girls in a muscular forearm.

Looking up, Megan Marx was instantly grumpy. She turned up her nose at the remaining blonde twin.

"Why _she_ get cookies?"

Wendy took that _'Mommy'_ tone of voice.

"Megan…."

"Sorry, Mommy…"

That was certainly better.

"There are plenty for everybody… Especially you, Shelby…"

The prizefighter blushed. She knew she was spoiled.

"You're the best, Wendy…"

Wendy leaned in close to her partner, whispering in her ear, ensuring that the children wouldn't overhear.

"_I know, Shelby… I know…"_


	16. iRestless

**iRestless**

Sam tossed and turned. After nearly a decade together, Carly was used to it. Her blonde was out cold, but even after all this time, Carly was convinced that even asleep, Sam's body had a mind of its own.

"_Oh my God…"_ Carly thought.

It had happened yet again. Sam's weight had shifted and the blonde began to roll in bed, her hand falling onto Carly's bare torso. Carly's mind raced, not because Sam was being unpleasant – far from it. Carly loved everything Sam had to offer. She simply needed her sleep, not Sam absentmindedly groping her boob at whatever-o'clock-in-the-morning this was. She knew Sam well enough to know what was going on inside that blonde cranium. Something was clearly eating Sam Puckett up inside.

Carly turned onto her side, snuggling into her partner. She whispered to her best friend, solely for her own benefit.

"_I love you, Samantha Puckett…"_

_**MEANWHILE, AT CASA DE BENSON…**_

Freddie Benson held his wife tightly. His hand drifted over her bare midsection. He couldn't believe what was about to happen. They'd been trying for well over a year, only to be disappointed. The fact that she was now with child – _his child_ – was beyond amazing.

Melanie's weight shifted. She subconsciously kicked her husband square in the kneecap. Freddie wanted to scream, but he kept it all inside. His baby and his baby's baby needed to sleep the night through. He leaned close and kissed her neck, stopping a brief moment to nip at her ear. Awake, it made her melt. Asleep, he had no idea.

The moment he did, it was evident that even asleep, it shot the same jolt of electricity through her body. She stirred, rolled over, and got comfortable again. She was asleep, but her body sought out his from sheer muscle memory. She'd shared a bed with him for the past five years. She wanted what she wanted. Melanie's sleepy blonde hands found Freddie's neck. She pulled herself to him. She wanted to be held. She would always be his baby.

_**BACK NEXT DOOR…**_

It was ungodly early in the morning, but Carly had needed her space. She had left Sam behind in bed and made her way into the kitchen. She needed a cup of tea.

Snuggled into the sofa cushions, knees up to her chest, Carly sat, sipping a cup of chamomile tea. Melanie had gotten her hooked on the stuff back in college.

Carly turned. She could hear footsteps. It must have been a parental thing, because she could sense which of her little girls it was before looking up. She was immediately sweet, soft, and maternal.

"It's late, Sweetpea… What are you doing up? Bad dream?"

Little Melanie Puckett brushed the sleep from her eyes, blonde tangles following suit. She wore one of Carly's old penny tees as a nightgown. There was definitely a story there, but it wasn't one Carly or Sam would share with their children anytime soon. The little blonde ragamuffin wandered over to the sofa, announcing to all the world that she was a '_Taco Truck Survivor'._ She yawned.

"No, Mommy… I just… I dunno…"

Carly didn't like this, not one bit.

"C'mon, Sweetheart… you can tell Mommy…"

The little girl pulled herself onto the sofa and snuggled close to Carly, speaking into her chest.

_**TWENTY FIVE MINUTES LATER…**_

Carly rocked the little girl gently in her arms. She was a mom, through and through. Her own mother would have been proud, she thought. She hoped so. She told herself that she was being the kind of parent her mother would have wanted her to be. She couldn't believe that her little daughter carried this around inside her tiny little brain and was so distressed by it.

Carly told her youngest that yes, Megan Marx's mommy was telling her the truth and yes, Auntie Melanie and Uncle Freddie would love her and her sister just as much as they always had, only differently. Now, it was time for a new little person to come into the world, who needed a different kind of love – that only Uncle Freddie and Auntie Melanie could give.

Melanie Puckett wasn't sure, but she chose to believe Mommy. She was Mommy. Mommy couldn't ever be wrong, especially about big people things. She knew that Carly had to be right.

"Mommy?"

"Yes, honey?"

"I want Uncle Freddie and Auntie Mel to be happy…"

Carly's eyes sparkled with tears she refused to let her little girl see.

"_Oh, wisdom from the mouths of babes…" _she thought.

"Me too, sweetheart… me too…"

"Mommy?"

"Yeah huh?"

"Why did Mama fight with Uncle Freddie?"

Carly looked puzzled.

"The other day… She hurt him in the eye…"

Carly laughed, although she knew that she shouldn't have. She immediately apologized.

"How did you know about that, honey?"

The little blonde shrugged. She just knew. She was Carly's little bookworm, even at this age. She noticed things.

"Nevermind… Well, your mama loves Uncle Freddie, but sometimes she doesn't show it. You know how sometimes we act different when we're scared?"

The little girl nodded enthusiastically.

"Well, that's what happens with Mama. She can't always…." Carly paused. She didn't know if she should be telling her daughter these things. She decided that it was worth making the point. "Mama can't always act like a big person…"

Little Melanie laughed. She knew that. Mama was fun and silly, but also _very serious_.

Carly changed the subject. The little girl barely noticed.

"So, honey… are you excited about having a little cousin?"

Melanie told Carly exactly what she'd told Wendy Marx that morning. She wasn't nervous so much anymore, but still didn't really know what to expect.

"Kinda, Mommy, but I dunno… We can't play or have fun or anything for a while because I'm a big girl and they're just a baby…"

Carly smiled. Her little girl was looking at this, such as it was, like a grown-up.

"But Mommy…"

Carly looked at her daughter.

"Yes sweetheart?"

"I'm sleepy… can I sleep with you and Mama?"

Carly was rather happy that she'd thrown on a t-shirt before getting out of bed.

_**MOMENTS LATER…**_

Carly was aghast at what she found upon returning to her bedroom, little girl in tow. Sam was now monopolizing a majority of the bed. Carly slid in next to Sam, gently elbowing her partner, the blanket hog, in the ribs.

"_Move, you meat stick!"_

The little girl giggled. Her mommies were so silly.

Carly kissed her daughter on the head and drew the little girl to her. There was now room for three in a bed that typically barely accommodated two. She drew the covers up around them and whispered to her daughter.

"_Goodnight, my love…"_

On her other side, Sam Puckett muttered in her sleep.

"Night, Carls…"


	17. iCan't Cope

**iCan't Cope**

Sam couldn't sleep. She was exhausted and emotional. She felt awful. She knew that she was a mess inside, and she did the only thing she knew how to do to deal with this.

She got out of bed, untangling herself from her sleepy Cupcake. She dressed quickly in the dark. It was easy now. She'd been doing this for years. It was a simple process when you'd had five years to get it down to a science. She crossed the room, making her way, in stocking feet, to Carly's side of the bed. She leaned over, kissing Carly's cheek first. Sam hated to cut and run, especially under the circumstances, but Carly knew her well enough. She knew that business was booming, so there was plenty of work needing to be done at the restaurant. She knew her Cupcake would understand. Sam kissed her precious little girl, named for her famous big sister, on the crown of her head, careful not to wake her.

Always a steely invisible ninja, Sam Puckett silently navigated the house in near-darkness. She slipped into the twins' shared bedroom to find Ashley sleeping alone. Sam loved her little girls, but seeing this, her heart sank. The twins were a matched and perfect set. The twins were each others' best friends, save for Shelby's little girl, who had become Ashley's frequent playmate. The twins love each other the way Mythical Melanie had always loved Sam.

Sam's heart simply hurt. Their little girls were so used to sleeping together that the lack of little Mel next to Ashley caused her eldest to shiver. Sam pulled the covers up, intent on keeping her little girl safe and sound. Sam kissed her big girl on the forehead, repeating what she'd whispered to her other daughter before leaving the master suite.

"_Remember how much Mama loves you…"_

Sam lingered over the face of her sleeping baby for a long moment before turning and leaving the room. This was just hard.

She stopped at the kitchen table and scribbled a note to Carly on the notepad that read _From the Kitchen of Sam Puckett_.

* * *

><p><em>Carls,<em>

_I'm sorry. I just have some things I need to work through. I'll be home as soon as I can._

_I love you,_

_Sam_

* * *

><p>It broke Sam's heart that she'd let things get to this point. Her problem was quite simple, really. She'd inherited one of her mother's worst traits, by far. Samantha Puckett was too proud to ask for help.<p>

_**HOURS LATER…**_

Carly was having a panic attack. No Sam meant unbalanced Carly. The girls knew what this was and they knew how to fix it. They had seen this before, but those times, Mama was always there to make Mommy all better. The twins took matters into their own tiny little hands. Melanie sat in Carly's lap, holding Mommy's hand and stroking her pretty dark hair, the way she'd seen Mama do. Little Ashley Puckett, bullheaded, just like a tiny version of Sam, looked her mother square in the face, speaking matter-of-factly.

"I'll be right back, Mommy, I promise. Everything gonna be okay…"

Carly lectured her, but couldn't truly find the energy. Carly watched teary-eyed as her little girl let herself out the front door, still in her PJs.

_**MOMENTS LATER…**_

Carly's eyes brightened the minute Ashley returned. She managed a laugh. Her little girl came through the front door, pulling her Uncle Freddie by the wrist.

Freddie held Carly close the moment he could. He gave her a sweet kiss on the cheek, whispering that it would all be okay. Carly was still upset. He did his best to reassure her.

"She's done this before… We both know what this is…"

They did. Carly certainly knew. She fussed nonetheless.

"But she left…"

"She left a note, Carly… You know the way she is…"

"But… I… I have to go talk to Sam…"

Freddie loved her, but she wasn't being rational. Carly was thinking with her heart, rather than her brain.

"Carly… You're in no condition to drive… If you're going anywhere, I'm going with you."

"But the girls…"

"They can stay here…"

"Freddie! They're five years old!"

Carly completely misunderstood. Freddie just shook his head. He turned towards his nieces.

"Girls, I have to take your mommy someplace… Can you two be good for Auntie Mel?"

Both girls knew that because Auntie Melanie was having a baby, they needed to play nice and be gentle. They didn't know all of the details, but they knew enough to know that they needed to be good girls. They both looked their uncle in the face and nodded.

"Yes sir…"

_**A SHORT WHILE LATER…**_

Freddie pulled his Range Rover to a stop in front of _Il Terrazzo Carmine_. He stepped out and made his way to the passenger side, to get the door for Carly. He was too late. She'd unbuckled her seatbelt, thrown open her door, and bolted for the front door of the restaurant. Freddie, already a few steps behind, broke into a run simply to keep up with Carly.

_**INSIDE…**_

One of the young waiter attempted to lecture Carly. Carly hit him in the chest, all whipped up.

"Sam! Sam!"

Carly broke off into a run down the hall, towards Sam's private office. This was most definitely not a good sign. Freddie ran after her. Nothing good could come from Carly getting all whipped up like this.

The staff certainly recognized Carly Puckett. She was one of the few people ever allowed back here. This young man was Sam's brother-in law; they'd seen him frequently enough. Carly was beyond whipped up – she was absolutely furious. Her big, clunky boot found the door to Sam's office.

"SAMANTHA PUCKETT, HOW DARE YOU?"

"_Well that's a fine goddamned How-do-you-do, Carls…"_ Sam thought.

"Cupcake, I can explain!"

"Don't you _dare_ '_Cupcake'_ me, Samantha… You left me and our babies in the middle of the night, without a clue of what was going on!"

"Cupcake…"

Carly stared at her. She was hurt. Freddie knew enough to take the opening he'd been given and run with it.

"Carly… Deep down, you _know_ it's nothing like that… You _know_ Sam…"

"Listen to the Nub, Carls…"

Carly's eyes were puffy and swollen. She simply stared at Sam.

The blonde continued. Carly had overlooked the most obvious facts. Sam was not her usual self today. Where she usually had her hair pulled back and barely wore a hint of makeup, Sam was now…. well, if Freddie didn't know better, he would've mistaken her for his wife.

"Cupcake, I… work… Things have been insane lately, and things with Mel… I'm just… I'm trying to sort things out, you know, in my head…"

She stopped. She knew what she was feeling, but she couldn't put it into words. She simply ran to Carly, threw her arms around her, laid her head on the brunette's shoulder, and began to cry.


	18. iDate Night

**iDate Night**

Carly fell all over herself the next few weeks to make things up to Sam. She had gone off the deep end, in front of her babies, no less. She felt horrible about it. She'd been on an extremely low dose of anti-anxiety medication for years, though she only took it _'as needed'_, which, truly, wasn't all that often, since Sam was usually glued to her hip. Sam had magic fingers. Sam's touch was typically all it took to soothe Carly's nerves. She felt like a complete heel for letting her nerves overwhelm her. Sam told her that it was no big deal, but Carly still worried.

Sam had packed the kids off to Wendy and Shelby's for the evening. Tonight was Date Night.

"Honey, I'm… just… I'm sorry…"

"Cupcake, we've been over this… it's alright…"

Sam drew the pretty brunette into her arms and kissed her neck.

"Carls…"

Carly went limp in Sam's arms. She really needed this, especially after everything that had gone on.

Sam kissed Carly's forehead.

"Go on, Cupcake… get comfy. I'll go make the popcorn."

Sam gave Carly a playful pop on the tush. Carly giggled. She had a feeling that tonight would be a good night.

The blonde was truly at peace. She had had a momentary meltdown a few weeks back, which, in turn, had sent her precious little Cupcake into a tailspin. She felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off of her back. She was working fulltime at the restaurant, coming home, being a wife and a mom, and in-between time, she was looking after her famous big sister as her pregnancy progressed. She had even gone the extra mile and hired Freddie to work part-time at the restaurant. She figured that she was better suited to deal with the Princess's mood swings than the Nub was.

"Honey?" Carly called from the sofa. "You'd better not over-salt that popcorn… You know what the doctor told you!"

Sam rolled her eyes. Carly meant well, but she could stand to unwind a little.

"Yes, Dear…"

She could hear Carly laughing at her. It was going to be one of _those_ nights.

_**AN HOUR LATER…**_

Carly couldn't possibly have cared less about the damn movie. She was far too into Sam to care. Carly was over-the-moon. Sam had given in to Carly's polite requests lately and had loosened up considerably. It was something the twins weren't used to. They giggled as Sam had kissed them goodbye for the night, when Wendy had picked them up tonight. They weren't used to seeing Mama wearing makeup or with her hair all curled. They thought it was adorable.

So did Carly.

Carly inhaled Sam's lower lip. She'd missed nights like this. Sam set her soul on fire and, as much as she adored her girls, Carly deserved a night to herself, to fall in love with Sam all over again.

"Sweety…"

Sam grumbled at her. It was difficult to respond when you weren't being allowed up for air. Carly didn't give a damn. She kept talking. Sam needed to learn to _listen_ for once.

"I love you _so_ very much, Sam… I'm so sorry for overreacting. I know it was a long time ago, but… I just…"

Carly shut up. Sam had gotten her attention. She'd given the Cupcake's pretty dark locks a firm tug, just to underscore the point and let the matter drop.

Carly did. She allowed Sam to breathe again.

"Well, _dang,_ Cupcake…"

Carly smiled.

"I've missed you…"

_**LATER IN THE EVENING…**_

Sam and Carly ate haphazardly at the coffee table. Sam had prepared a very simple spaghetti and meatballs, plus garlic bread. It was nothing fancy, but what it _was_ was one of Carly's favorites. The Cupcake didn't know that Mama had thought _well_ ahead tonight. She had a plan of her own.

Carly was a little girl again, slurping up whole noodles when she could. Normally, it was the type of behavior that Carly Puckett, as a mom, would scold her girls over. Tonight, however, she wasn't a mom. She was just Sam's Cupcake.

"Carls?"

Carly just smiled at Sam stupidly.

"Uh… Cupcake?"

Sam smiled. She leaned closer on the pretense of going for that large remaining meatball.

That wasn't true.

Sam leaned in, slurping up the other end of the noodle Carly was interested in. That was the whole point.

Carly had never seen it coming.

Their lips met. Carly grinned, as though it was their very first date night all over again.

She was so very lucky. She would never let Sam forget it.


	19. iApologize

**iApologize**

Sam and Carly slept together on the sofa that night. It was nice not to have to shoo the twins off on their merry little way, make sure teeth were brushed, the behinds of ears were washed, or that the covers were up just far enough. Carly and Sam knew how blessed they were to be mothers, but sometimes it was nice for them to simply have time together as a couple.

Sam waited until her Cupcake was sound asleep before getting up. She knew that this was needed, so she did it exactly when her precious, precious Carly couldn't see it coming. Sam Puckett was an awful lot of things, but what she was – above all else – was a hopeless romantic.

There was a fundamental reason why Carly was under orders from Mama to stay out of the kitchen tonight. Sam's special, super-secret surprise was hidden there and had been since Freddie had _conveniently_ needed Carly's input on the nursery he was designing for Melanie. Carly had no idea that Sam had enlisted the help of her brother-in-law, the Nub.

Moving aside the carton orange juice, Sam removed a large glass vase from the refrigerator. She had ordered Carly a dozen red roses. Somehow – miraculously – the florist had delivered three dozen. The Puckett name still held some clout in this town. It was the very least Sam could do. She had gotten so wrapped up in life – including looking out for the health and welfare of the next generation of Nubs – that she had skipped out on the Cupcake on the worst morning of the year. Unbeknownst to Sam at the time, it was the anniversary of Carly's mother's passing. No wonder the Cupcake came apart at the seams. Her mind was clearly on other things, and Sam was simply the convenient target for Carly's frustration.

Sam carried the heavy glass vase into the living room and set it on the coffee table, directly in Carly's line of sight. She wanted her precious little wife to know just how much she loved her, as well as how she, Sam, had taken ownership of their recent marital strife. Sam had loved her little Cupcake – the former Carly Shay – for nearly her entire life. She would love Carly exponentially more each and every day. She wanted Carly to understand. She had to know.

It was late, but Sam was running on a potent mix of adrenaline and love. As much as she'd said that she would love Carly the same as always, things had changed, without Sam ever realizing it. She didn't love Carly the same way she always had. As each day passed, Sam realized that she loved her precious little Cupcake more than ever. They had been together, a couple, each and every day since the end of their senior year at Ridgeway. She'd always seen them as being the same old Cam – Carly plus Sam – that they'd always been, but that wasn't the truth. They were better and different. Sam settled, nearly naked, into the recliner in the corner of the room. She wanted to savor the moment before rejoining the world of Carly and sleep. She sat there, watchng Carly dream. Sam thought it was the most beautiful sight in the entire world.

_**EIGHT O'CLOCK THE NEXT MORNING…**_

Carly Puckett stirred beneath her beautiful blonde. She had slept wonderfully. She had simply loved the feeling of being held by Sam. She was warm and safe in Sam's arms. Last night had been amazing. It wasn't simply that it was the first time in a long time they could be intimate, but that most definitely helped. It was everything. It was the fact that they could switch off their responsibilities as parents for a little while and simple be together. It was the fact that Sam had done her hair and put on makeup and behaved like the girl Carly remembered from high school and college. Sam's day to day routine didn't allow for much in the way of femininity. Sam had gone around butch and into the world of androgyny solely because it was expedient. Sam wasn't particularly fond of it, but it was easy. She hadn't even realized she'd done it until Carly brought it up a little over a week ago. Sam felt stupid. She didn't even realize that she had done anything until Carly had said so. She never wanted her beautiful little brunette to feel awkward.

Carly was slowly waking up, still winding Sam's blonde curls in her fingers. She kissed her neck. It was like so many mornings before the girls had come along. It was just _comfortable._

Her eyes came into focus. She finally saw. Sam yawned and began to stretch herself out, like a cat, basking in the sun.

"Mmmmm….. 'Morning, Cupcake…" She yawned.

"Sam… Oh my God… Why?"

She felt the blonde shrug. Her body rubbing gently into Carly's back.

"Sam…"

Sam Puckett yawned. She didn't feel like a game of Twenty Questions this morning, particularly if it would consist of twenty variations on the same theme.

"Sam…."

Sam played coy. It was fun to get a rise out of Carly once in a while. She smiled to herself, planting a kiss on Carly's bare shoulder.

"Yes, my love?"

"Sam, _my God_, this is, like, way too much…"

"What are you talking about, Cupcake?"

"Flowers, Samantha…. All of these flowers. What on Earth did I ever do to deserve this kind of treatment?"

Sam chuckled to herself. Did Carly truly not know? After all this time?

"Hmmm, let me see…. Well, for starters, Carlotta… You took me in when nobody else would have me…"

Carly was confused.

"Sam, seriously…"

Sam continued to kiss her partner's bare back. She wanted Carly to understand.

"Carls, it's just… you know… I wanted you to know just how special you are to me. You're the only one I ever wanted, and I don't ever thank you for everything you've done for me…"

It struck Carly just how sincere Sam was. She wanted Sam to listen, just for a minute.

"Sam, you don't ever have to thank me for _anything_… Just being in my life is thanks enough…"

Sam loved Carly more than she could ever put into words, but so help her, she'd tried.

"You didn't read the card, did you, Cupcake?"

Carly should have, but hadn't.

She concentrated on the small card attached to the vase.

* * *

><p><em>Carls,<em>

_I want you to know just how much you mean to me. Since I can't give you all the beautiful things in the world, these will have to do. Beautiful things for my most beautiful thing._

_Thank you for making each and every day magical._

_I love you,_

_Sam_

* * *

><p>Carly began to cry. These were happy tears. Everything in her world was right. Sam had, as always, gone over, above, and beyond what was necessary. Carly knew that she was the luckiest woman alive. Sam Puckett was one in a million.<p> 


	20. iBlessed

**iBlessed**

Freddie Benson was busy being a house husband. He most certainly wasn't complaining. As Melanie's pregnancy progressed, he was quite serious about limiting her activities. If it was up to him, she would be on bed rest, leaving him to handle everything.

"Freddie, you're being ridiculous!"

"Sweetheart…" He wasn't very pleased with her. All he wanted was what was best for her.

"Freddie…"

Melanie touched the back of his neck. She loved him dearly. She knew what he was thinking. It had been so difficult for them to conceive. She knew that it was hard on him to let her have a life. All he wanted was to protect her.

"Sweety, really… I'm fine… I promise, I'll be careful… Now, did you set things up for me like I asked?"

She smiled at him. He set her breakfast on the kitchen table and casually patted her ever-expanding stomach. He loved her more than anything in the world. The notion of her bringing life into the world was throwing him for a loop. They sat and talked about nothing in particular. Melanie's eyes lit up at the thought of breakfast. It was as though he'd just put a fresh ham in front of her sister.

"Oooh, Omlette… You sweet, sweet boy!"

He leaned in and kissed her gently on the cheek, offering her a glass of juice he had just squeezed, specifically with her health in mind.

"I love you…"

She blushed.

"I know that… I've known that for years, Sweetheart…"

Melanie Benson didn't need her husband babying her like this, but she wasn't complaining. She held his hand and kissed it. She loved him very much.

_**HALF AN HOUR LATER…**_

Melanie was comfortable in her home studio. Freddie had fixed things up just the way Melanie had requested, allowing her to work and record throughout her pregnancy. She figured that this was a bit of a better way to do what she needed than to take her hormonal mood swings out on her sweet little tech boy. She readjusted the headset mic and made sure everything else was cued up and ready to go. She cued up the backing track and started in. It was not her typical fare, but it suited her of late. It had come to her one morning in the shower, after she couldn't get back to sleep. It made sense to her. That was all that mattered. This was completely tongue-in-cheek. She hoped Freddie knew how to take a joke.

* * *

><p>"…<em>I can't sleep I keep you up all night…"<em>

"…_I know sometimes I get a bit uptight…"_

"…_So what if I break a few glasses…"_

"…_Kick a few asses…"_

"…_You know I'm worth it…"_

"…_(Here we go)…"_

"…_I'm the color on your pallet…"_

"…_The sweetness on your tongue…"_  
><em>"…You know how to work…"<em>

"…_I know how to have fun…"_

"…_All I want is everything…"_

"…_Does that make sense?..."_

"…_Does that make me high maintenance?..."_

"…_I crashed your new Ferrari…"_

"…_Baby, fix the dents_…"

"…_Does that make me high maintenance?..."_

"…_No-o-o-o-o-o… I don't think so…_"

* * *

><p>Melanie laid down the track and then laid down herself. This was the added bonus of having an in-home studio. You could have a sofa right there in the studio. She stretched out over the entire length and shut her eyes. Being a diva was hard work. Being a diva while being with child was much harder still.<p>

_**TWO HOURS LATER…**_

Melanie Benson woke up with a start. It wasn't pain, per se, but it was certainly discomfort. She had just been body checked by her two tiny nieces. Carly scolded. Sam shushed her. Freddie smiled and Melanie chuckled.

"Girls… girls…"

The twins instantly realized that just maybe they'd been a bit too rambunctious.

"Sorry, Auntie Mel… Sorry, Baby…"

It was the most precious thing that any of them had ever seen, particularly Carly. The fact that her girls were considerate enough to apologize to their unborn cousin meant the world to her. It was evident that her girls had learned the most important lessons that she and Sam had tried to instill.

Melanie giggled, still trying to right herself on the sofa. She wanted so badly to pull _'her girls'_ into a hug. She loved them so much. She hugged and kissed them both. This was simply what her life was about. Music was a means to an end, but her true passion in life was her family.

_**A SHORT TIME LATER…**_

The four adults sat at the kitchen table, sipping drinks and talking, while the twins were in the middle of the living room floor, entertained by Uncle Freddie's copy of _Galaxy Wars_. It was a fun movie, one of their favorites. The only thing missing, they thought, was popcorn, but it was too early for that and Mommy wouldn't let them. Auntie Melanie and Uncle Freddie were cool like that. They would allow them to get away with things that their parents wouldn't. If the girls wanted popcorn while watching _Galaxy Wars_ before lunchtime, that was okay. Uncle Freddie and Auntie Mel had different rules, which suited the girls just fine.

This was little Melanie's favorite part. She'd seen this movie easily a dozen times, but she still shut her eyes tight, nearly jumping out of her skin every time. She grabbed her sister tight around the waist. Ashley Puckett yelped.

"Ouch! That hurts! You _so_ dorky!"

Melanie giggled and held her sister close. She knew she didn't mean it. Despite everything, she knew that her sister loved her and would do anything for her.

_**MEANWHILE, IN THE KITCHEN…**_

The adults spoke in hushed tones. It wasn't as though they were _keeping_ anything from the twins, necessarily, but there were just certain things that five-year-old ears didn't need to hear. Carly was blushing, tears were rolling down her cheeks. Sam felt embarrassed.

"Oh, for God's sake, Carls…"

It wasn't that Sam was disappointed in her precious Cupcake – far from it. The fact was that, unlike Carly, Sam had simply seen this coming. Melanie spoke gently, her eyes locked on Carly's all the while.

"You loved us enough to make us the girls' godparents… We're simply returning the favor. We _are_ family, remember?"

Carly felt overcome. Her eyes darted from Melanie to Freddie and back again. She sipped her tea and felt warm. She didn't know if it was her drink or the fact that Sam's arm was around her waist. She didn't care. She felt safe. Her eyes met Melanie's again. She wanted to speak, but the words didn't come out. She simply mouthed the words. She knew it would suffice.

Melanie Benson felt wonderful. She watched her sister-in-law, her childhood friend, mouth the words '_I love you'_ and smiled. She knew that should it ever become necessary, there was no safer place for her child than the hearts, arms, and home of her sister and her partner. They were family, and family looked after each other.


	21. iCan't Believe My Ears

**iCan't Believe My Ears**

Sam sent Freddie Benson a _'911'_ text. Melanie was over the moon with joy, but Sam was in no condition to drive. She – not Melanie – had lost her lunch.

"Wait… What? Come again?" was all Freddie could say when he'd called her back.

"Just drop the babies by Wendy and Shelby's, grab the Cupcake, and come get us." Sam croaked. Her nausea was breaking. She'd be fine once the Nub got here.

Melanie took her sister's hand, holding it tightly. She was ecstatic.

"Sam, I'm so happy!"

Sam completely understood. It was simply that her stomach was still doing flips. She nodded, trying to force the words out in-between the sick feeling rising in her throat.

"I know, Princess…" Sam held her hand. So much went without saying. Nothing needed to be said. They were sisters. They were intimately, intuitively connected.

Sam swallowed, choking down the upset feeling. She knew that it would pass. She looked to her sister, her eyes soft, saying everything and nothing, all in the same moment.

"Mel, look… I know I rip on him a lot, but… you know… he's good for you…"

Melanie flushed. She knew what Sam was trying to say.

"Sam, you don't need to…"

Sam waved her sister's hand away. She needed to say this.

"Melanie… he's… he's the best _person_ I think I've ever met, not counting you or Carls… You and your kids are so lucky…"

_Kids._ There it was. It wasn't real until she'd heard it again. Melanie and Freddie Benson were having twins.

"Sam… that's just… I can't believe…"

Sam shot her sister a cocky smile.

"Believe it, Sweet Cheeks. Twice the crying, twice the feeding… twice the diapers…"

Melanie laughed. She rested her head on Sam's shoulder. She was perfectly content to stay here, except for that weird, antiseptic, hospital smell.

_**TWENTY MINUTES LATER…**_

Freddie arrived, pulling a hesitant, strange sounding Carly by the wrist. Sam knew it was one of Carly's panicky moments. She looked the brunette in the face, to reassure her.

"Cupcake… just listen to me… it's okay…"

Carly immediately quieted. Freddie let her go to Sam, while he embraced Melanie.

"How're you feeling, Love?"

Melanie could only smile. She was ecstatic. Sam held Carly, still hyperventilating. She knew how Carly got in hospitals. She patted Carly's back as the brunette buried her face into Sam's shoulder.

"Shhh…. Cupcake…"

Carly hated hospitals. They all knew that she would've delivered the twins at home, would it have been feasible. Sam had always tried to temper Carly's panic attacks the best she could. She rubbed the small space on Carly's shoulders. That always worked. She felt Carly's breathing return to normal. The brunette withdrew, looking from Sam to Melanie to Freddie.

"Oh God… I am _so_ sorry…"

Melanie looked to her, bright and cheerful as ever.

"Carly, Honey… You're fine…"

It was just then that Carly truly noticed that which was so obvious. It had been so gradual that she really hadn't noticed. She finally took notice of just how beautiful Melanie looked. Carly thought that, in a weird way, Melanie made pregnancy look almost chic. Carly turned her attention to the identical blonde and unburdened herself.

"You're… you're going to be an amazing mom…"

Melanie smiled. She knew why her sister loved Carly so completely. She did it because it was easy. Sam's little Cupcake simply _made_ you love her.

"I had a good role model…"

Carly was touched. She knew all too well how difficult Sam and Melanie's relationship with Pam had been. It was abundantly clear that the _'good role model'_ Melanie was referring to was Carly herself.

_**AN HOUR LATER…**_

At Melanie's insistence, there had to be lunch. They had gone back to Carly and Sam's, intending to pick up the kids from Wendy and Shelby's later in the after noon. Given the nature of their life together, there were always cartons of food from _Il Terrazzo Carmine_ in the fridge, not to mention leftovers. Melanie made her move for the last slice of ham. Sam, to no one's surprise, got all whipped up.

"Watch it, Princess… Just because you got buns in your oven doesn't mean…"

Melanie knew Sam was teasing, but that didn't stop her from throwing a mock estrogen-induced Big Girl Tantrum.

"Samantha! I need to eat, Thank You very much…"

Carly looked across the table to her sister-in-law. All she could do was shrug.

"You know that Sam loves ham…"

_**A SHORT WHILE LATER…**_

The quartet procrastinated. They sat around the living room and chatted, thoroughly enjoying each other's company, sans children. Melanie cuddled next to Freddie on the sofa. She fussed over the fact that she simply _couldn't_ get comfortable. Her very pregnant stomach seemed to get in the way of _everything_. She wanted nothing more than to snuggle close to her very wonderful husband, but she couldn't – not the way she liked. She got very huffy. Freddie understood completely, stroking her hair gently.

"Sweetheart…"

Carly knew that feeling all too well. Sam did too. She planted a kiss along the side of the brunette's head.

"Aren't you glad that part's over?"

Carly giggled. While it was true that her pregnancy hadn't been any walk in the park, she did relish the idea of maybe trying again, and Sam knew that.

"Sam…" Carly whispered.

Sam gave the Cupcake's hand a squeeze. She was just trying to play around and be silly. It's what they did. It was when Sam felt the most comfortable. Making Carly laugh and seeing her smile were the best feelings in the world.

Melanie had finally gotten comfortable. Carly smiled, playfully poking Sam in the ribs to get her attention. Sam finally noticed. Both Mel and the Nub had fallen asleep, her head buried into his chest. Sam laughed. She thought it was precious. She kissed Carly sweetly on the cheek and got to her feet, snatching her car keys from the coffee table.

"Gonna go round up the rugrats… I'll be home soon…"

Carly chuckled as Sam bounded out the door and into the gloomy, overcast Seattle haze. She was firmly convinced that life was good and only bound to get better.


	22. iWant To Be Yours

**iWant to Be Yours**

Shelby and Wendy Marx were enjoying a quiet evening together after Megan had gone to bed. They had stretched out, one against the other, on the sofa. Wendy balanced their bowl of popcorn between her knees. Shelby snaked her arms around the redhead's ribcage.

"You know, Shel, this is really nice… We don't get to do this as often as we should."

Shelby Marx chuckled.

"Welcome to parenthood…"

Shelby tickled her. She loved Wendy more than she could say. It had been far too long since they could relax and enjoy each other's company. She touched the redhead gently, the soft way she did when they wound down for the night or when Wendy got all whipped up over something that was completely immaterial. The tip of Shelby's finger found the dip of Wendy's navel. It was moments like this that made Wendy Marx thrilled to be alive.

"Shelby…"

There it was. It was that tone in Wendy's voice that told Shelby that she hadn't forgotten. It had been a very difficult few weeks in the Marx house. It wasn't that the couple didn't communicate, but it seemed, increasingly, of late, that each party was speaking a different language. Shelby's business demanded more and more of her time, while Wendy was left hoping for the leftovers of her partner's day. It was so emotionally taxing at times that Wendy simply broke down and cried when Megan wasn't around.

Shelby shifted her weight and playfully nibbled Wendy's ear. Wendy laughed. Shelby felt her relax.

"Wendy, my love, what's the matter? You've been so weird lately…"

Wendy took a deep breath and unburdened herself. She could always talk to Shelby. She didn't have any idea why the last few weeks had been so difficult.

"Shelby… Honey…. It's just… you aren't… bored with me, are you?"

Her partner's words cut Shelby Marx like a knife. She felt as though she'd been knocked in the head with a roundhouse kick. She was dazed and confused, but Wendy wouldn't see her wounded.

"Of course not, my love…"

Resting against her, Shelby could feel her partner's abdominal muscles unclench.

"Wendy?"

"Uh huh…"

"Honey, what on Earth would ever make you think I felt that way?"

Wendy felt weepy, but didn't cry. She simply cuddled into Shelby's chest.

"But you… so busy… we just…"

Shelby touched her partner's stomach gently.

"Wendy Sue… really? You silly girl… I love you, woman! That gangly redheaded mess in the back bedroom should prove it…"

Wendy realized that she was being stupid. In their years together, Shelby's eyes had never wandered, even for a second. Wendy thought, for a second, that Shelby was stepping out on her with Sam Puckett, but she realized how stupid that sounded. Shelby would never look at Sam, or anyone else, for that matter, in that way. In her heart of hearts, she knew she was being completely paranoid.

Shelby took Wendy's hand. She held it up so that her redhead could see.

"Remember this?"

Of course Wendy remembered. Shelby had given her this ring ages ago. It meant everything in the world to her. It was the commitment the fighter made to her years ago, giving her life over to Wendy, in search of stability.

"Of course I do…"

Shelby wanted to ignore the movie. Wendy needed some reassurance. She needed to remember what it was like to be the center of Shelby Marx's world.

_**AN HOUR LATER…**_

Wendy was a very happy woman. Her pulse evened out again.

"Shel…"

"Relax, Sweetheart…"

"You're amazing…"

"That may be, honey, but just take a deep breath…"

Wendy couldn't believe it. After all these years, Shelby Marx still took her breath away. Shelby knew Wendy too well.

"Wendy, baby, you _know_ I'm the same woman you've gone to bed with for the past five years, right? There shouldn't be that many things left that I can surprise you with…"

Wendy blushed. Shelby was an amazing woman.

"Shelby, I'm so sorry I didn't…"

"Wendy, shush. We all are entitled to little misunderstandings once in a while…"

Shelby stroked Wendy's long, red locks. It had been a very long day and Shelby wanted her to relax. She reached for the popcorn bowl, now beside her on the coffee table. She fed Wendy, allowing the redhead to stare absentmindedly up at the ceiling as they talked.

"Wendy, can you promise me something?"

"Sure…"

Shelby knew that tone of voice all too well. Wendy was falling asleep. She brushed aside red curls, allowing her hand to brush up and over Wendy's face and forehead. She knew all too well how Wendy could get when she was busy being creative, although Shelby was very happy that Wendy's original works now graced their walls, along with paintings purchased from New York with Shelby's old CFC winnings. Wendy couldn't believe Shelby would ever spend that sort of money indulging her passions, but Shelby would have it no other way. If Wendy was happy, Shelby would always be.

"Okay, alright, my little Bohemian… upsy-daisy…"

Shelby was strong, but lifting a sleepy Wendy off of her chest required a considerable amount of effort, considering that the redhead was snuggled on top of her. She gave Wendy a playful shove, sending her partner into the pillows at the opposite end of the sofa. It took a bit of work, but Shelby managed to extricate herself from Wendy and the sofa cushions. She scooped the redhead up into her arms and decided it was time for bed, regardless of the fact that it was still insanely early, according to her own biological clock. It was time for bed, but sleep was the last thing that Shelby Marx had in mind.

"Upsy-daisy, Wendy Sue…"

Wendy Marx stirred in Shelby's embrace, babbling incoherently.

"Shhh… Almost bedtime, my dear…"

"Shelby?"

It was clear that Wendy was overtired, overwrought, or simply plain loopy. Shelby didn't care. She loved her all the same. Tonight was long overdue. Shelby Marx wanted to show Wendy exactly what it meant to her that Wendy was the sunlight to her universe.


	23. iWakeup Call

**iWakeup Call**

Sam woke up with a start. Her brain was still asleep, so her answer to the voice on the other end of the phone made absolutely no sense.

"Unless this is an insanely beautiful Chilean girl, I'm hanging up!"

Her twin managed a laugh through her discomfort.

"Samantha…"

Sam's brain finally registered what was going on. Her leg kicked out from under her in bed, connecting squarely with Carly's bare backside.

"Wake up, Cupcake… Get the kiddos!"

Carly groaned.

"Carls!"

The brunette was up, her brain was wide awake now. It was quarter past three in the morning.

_**MOMENTS LATER…**_

Carly had roused their little ones, still in their footie pajamas.

"Where we going, Mommy? It's dark out…"

Carly couldn't argue with Melanie. Her little girl made sense.

"We have to take Auntie Mel to the hospital…"

Melanie's brain had barely woken up.

"Baby?"

Carly chuckled. She had such smart girls. Little Melanie fussed. She couldn't see. Carly was happy that she'd remembered to grab the tiny pair of eyeglasses from the night table in the girls' room. She hustled the girls into the living room, asking them to be good for just a few minutes, while Mommy got changed. Carly had neglected to realize that Ashley had fallen back to sleep against her sister.

_**THREE MINUTES LATER…**_

Carly and Sam emerged from their bedroom having set the new land speed record for going from zero to fully dressed. Carly wore skinny jeans and a Seattle Cobras hoodie. Sam wore sweats from their college days. Little Melanie was having a conniption. Carly came running.

"Mommy, she drooled on me!"

Carly shot Sam a look. _This __morning_, of all mornings…

_**TEN MINUTES LATER, IN THE DRIVEWAY OF CASA DE BENSON…**_

Sam had made sure that the twins were snug in their car seats and that Melanie's things were in the back of the van. She spoke sternly to Freddie as Melanie attempted to make herself comfortable in the passenger seat of Freddie's Range Rover.

"Now listen here, Nub…" Sam began. She wanted Freddie to understand.

"Get her there quickly… _BUT_ if you go one mile over the speed limit or harm one hair on her pretty little head…"

Sam's lecture was cut short by a hyperventilating Mythical Melanie.

"Oh, for Christ's sake, Samantha…"

Sam knew when to leave well enough alone. She ducked her head inside the open passenger door and kissed her sister firmly on the cheek.

"I love you…"

Sam and Melanie embraced before, against Sam's better judgment, she left her sister in Freddie Benson's care.

_**SEATTLE UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER, AN HOUR LATER…**_

Carly dozed against Sam in the hospital cafeteria. The twins slept in the opposite side of the booth. Sam nudged her partner. This was too precious to pass up.

"Cupcake, look…"

The twins cuddled each other, their faces a sticky mess of maple syrup from the French Toast Sam had gotten for their breakfast. Hospital food was a step below airline food and just slightly better than what you'd feed your pets, but, in a pinch, food was food.

Ashley snuggled into her sister. Melanie Puckett, asleep and blissfully unaware, kissed her sister on the lips. It was the most precious thing Sam had seen in a long time. Carly smiled.

The blonde kissed her partner on the head.

"More coffee, Carls?"

Carly smirked. It was still early.

"Please, Mama…"

Sam gently excused herself. She left in search of more of the barely palatable sludge that somehow passed for coffee. It wasn't ideal, but this wasn't a social occasion. This was personal, and it would all be over before they realized it.

_**FOUR HOURS LATER…**_

The Marx family had settled into the same booth as the Puckett family. Sam looked across the table to Shelby Marx, clearly sleep deprived. Shelby set a plastic grocery bag on the table between them. As they weren't the ones rushing Mythical Melanie to the hospital, they could afford to take their time. Sam had sent them on one _tiny,__little_ errand this morning. She gushed.

"Oh, Shelby, you are my goddess! You brought real food!"

Wendy laughed and Shelby flushed.

"Relax, Puckett… It's no big thing…"

Sam, of course, knew better. It was very much a thing. It was bagels and cream cheese and muffins and fresh cheese and ham – sweet, beautiful, succulent ham.

Carly scolded her quietly.

"Sam! Not in public… it's embarrassing!"

It took a moment before Sam realized what Carly found so objectionable. She'd completely forgotten about their wonderful friends and had turned to Carly, whispering.

"Was I…?"

"Like one of Pavlov's dogs…"

"Oh, Christ…"

The twins paid no attention. Mama was weird. Ashley had fallen asleep again, this time cuddling Megan Marx, while little Melanie Puckett adjusted her glasses and continued reading. She was very proud of herself. She'd taken after her Mommy and had been a very early reader. Now, she couldn't imagine her world without books.

Sam's Pear phone began chirping, signaling a new text message. Carly's followed, then Wendy's and Shelby's, in short order. Freddie was informing them that the moment of truth was near and to head upstairs if they wanted to be present.

_**FIVE MINUTES LATER, UPSTAIRS…**_

Carly and Sam had slipped into the delivery room, leaving the twins behind with Wendy and Shelby. The Puckett twins wanted to see their beautiful, famous Auntie Mel, but Carly had insisted it would be better for the girls to see Auntie Mel a little while later, when she felt better. Ashley would have pushed the issue further if Megan Marx hadn't grabbed her hand. She was okay now. Megan made everything okay.

Carly was terribly embarrassed for her sister-in-law. She knew exactly the kind of pain she was in, there, in one of those god-awful, open in the back, paper-thin, hospital gowns. She had to say something. She was Carly Shay, the peacemaker. She needed to make everything okay again.

"Mel, honey, just a few more minutes and this will all be over…"

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU KNOW ABOUT IT? I'M THE ONE IN THIS BED, CARLY SHAY, NOT YOU…."

Sam turned to Carly, trying to translate her sister's intended message.

"That was the drugs talking, Cupcake…"

Carly laughed.

Freddie wanted to capture the moment for posterity. He had brought his good camera – the _iCarly_ camera.

"I SWEAR TO GOD, FREDDIE BENSON, I BLAME YOU FOR THIS!"

Sam chuckled to herself, then whispered to Carly.

"So do we…"

"Sam…"

In a matter of moments, it was all over. The screaming and the pain and the cursing had all subsided. The demons had left Sam's perfect sister and everything was normal again. The Benson family had increased by two. Melanie had brought fraternal twins into the world.


	24. iMeet You For The First Time

**iMeet You For The First Time**

Carly and Sam gave Freddie and Melanie a few days to get settled. Their girls, however, were climbing the walls.

"But _Mommy__…_" Ashley whined. "I miss Auntie Mel…."

Carly couldn't fault her daughter for feeling this way. These past four days were perhaps the longest stretch the twins had gone in their entire lives without their aunt and uncle.

"I know, Sweety, but Auntie Mel needed a little time…"

Ashley knew she was being a little selfish. She looked down, immediately interested in the floor.

"I know, but… Sorry, Mommy…"

Melanie wandered in from the kitchen, carefully balancing her paper plate of cookies. Mama had just given her a handful of warm peanut butter cookies. Melanie loved her sister and didn't want her to fuss. She missed Uncle Freddie and Auntie Mel, too.

Carly barely stifled a laugh as her bookish little girl walked right up to the elder twin and popped a cookie into her mouth. These two never ceased to amaze her.

"Have a cookie… I love you…"

Little Melanie Puckett threw her sister into a hug. Ashley relented, having no reason in the world to play tough. Her sister was nerdy, but she was a sweetheart. Melanie kissed her on the cheek. Ashley melted like a warm chocolate chip. She spoke softly, as if she were embarrassed.

"Love you too…"

Carly rushed to embrace them both. She loved her girls more than anything – anything, of course, except their Mama.

Carly held them both close. She loved the heat radiating from their tiny little bodies. It was like being stuck between two itty-bitty little suns. She kissed them both for reasons that didn't completely understand. For Carly, it was simple. She knew that her girls were growing up and, barring a miracle, she and Sam wouldn't have any others. She wanted to savor every single moment of their collective childhoods that she could. Her own mother was robbed of hers, and Carly kept that thought buried at the back of her mind at all times. She kissed the girls again before Ashley whined for Sam.

"Mama! Why is Mommy all lovin' up on us?"

Sam chuckled.

"Because she's your mother and she's allowed to!"

Melanie couldn't possibly have cared less. She loved Mommy and she loved her sister. That was just how her world was – her wonderful parents, her sister, and their friends. She was very lucky and could never ask for more.

_**CASA DE BENSON, AN HOUR LATER…**_

Melanie was resting comfortably, a child in each arm, as Carly, Sam, and the twins entered the living room, escorted by Freddie. Carly and Sam stayed back a few steps, allowing the girls to inch closer to their new cousins. Their reactions to the Bensons' new tiny people were as different as night and day.

"So tiny…"

"They smell weird…"

The famous blonde patted the sofa, motioning for her precious nieces to join her. They did, one on each side. Ashley found herself face to face with a pretty blonde girl who looked remarkably like her. Her sister was busy taking stock of the little boy sleeping in the crook of Auntie Mel's other arm.

Carly and Sam came closer. The brunette gushed over the little babies. She remembered those days all too well.

"Oh my God, Mel… They're so precious!"

Sam was, as usual, blunt.

"Ya done good, Kid…"

Melanie smirked at her sister, motioning to the sleepy newborn little girl.

"She's named for you, you know. Samantha Puckett, meet Samantha Benson…"

Tears streamed from Sam's eyes. She couldn't control herself. She was overcome. This was, aside from the birth of her own children, the most amazing moment of her life.

"Mel, I…"

"Sam, stop… You're my sister and I love you… Everything I have is because of you… I love you…"

_**LATER THAT AFTERNOON…**_

Freddie had just come from the back bedroom. He had rigged the nursery with everything imaginable, including tiny little web-based surveillance cameras, so he could check in on the kids from his laptop, no matter where he was. They were sound asleep. The girls played quietly in the middle of the living room floor. Little Melanie took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes. She was sleepy. She hugged her sister close, but it was no use. Ashley met her with attitude.

"You are _so_ dorky… I'm not sleepy yet…"

Melanie knew her sister better than that. She got moody when she was overtired.

"Liar…"

Mel poked her sister in the stomach, just to be silly. Ashley knew her sister knew her better than anyone, even their parents. She relented and yawned.

"Why you gotta be so… so…. _You?_"

Melanie kissed her sister's cheek and curled up with her right there on the living room carpet.

Freddie got up from the sofa, where he had cozied up next to his beautiful wife. He grabbed the blanket from the arm of the sofa and proceeded to tuck in the sleepy girls. He didn't need to say anything to anyone. His love for these girls was palpable. They all knew. It was blatantly obvious that his love for Carly and Sam's little girls knew no bounds. He kissed each of them on the forehead before returning to the sofa, his wife, and sisters-in-law. Freddie Benson had never been happier in his entire life.

The group returned to their small talk. Sam was interested in Melanie's professional plans, since Carly's paycheck depended on what Melanie did. Melanie shoved her sister in the shoulder.

"Samantha… If that's what you're concerned with, I'll cut her a check right now…"

Carly was beyond embarrassed. She flushed bright red.

"Sam…"

Melanie laughed.

"Relax, Cupcake… I'm just picking on her…"

Carly had known the Puckett sisters nearly her entire life, but there were times when she forgot that Mythical Melanie was perfectly capable of sass. She rested her head against Sam's chest. It was moments like these that made Carly love how her life had turned out to this point, regardless of all of the drama that had accompanied her coming-out experience. She loved Sam more than anything in the world. Everything felt like it was perfect. Carly rested comfortably in Sam's cleavage, her arms around the blonde's waist.

"I love you, Sam…"

The blonde whispered in her ear.

"I know, Cupcake… I know…"


	25. iSpring Ahead

**iSpring Ahead**

_**THE FOLLOWING SPRING…**_

Sam and Carly walked with the girls in Freddie and Melanie's spacious backyard. It was, of course, identical to their own, but this simply felt like home. They had learned, over the years, that it wasn't a house that made a home, but who you shared it with. Sam held Carly close, looping her arm low around her waist. They let the girls walk ahead of them, content in the company of their little friends, whom Freddie and Mel had invited. In Melanie's world, you didn't need a reason to throw a party.

Wendy and Shelby Marx had brought Megan. Rounding out the group at the Bensons' oversized picnic table was Karen Xi, single mom of Bridget, Melanie Puckett's closest friend. Freddie had made sure that their own twins could relax in the playpen, which he'd set up just far enough away from the deck. Their first birthday was still several months off, but it certainly didn't look it. The children, it seemed, had inherited Auntie Sam's appetite.

Mrs. Xi was polite, but it still felt awkward to her, these two women raising children. She really didn't feel one way or the other about it – it was simply outside of her frame of reference, besides, her own little girl was the product of a very private adoption, so she knew she had no right to say anything without being branded a hypocrite. Her daughter had found a friend, and these women had obviously instilled good values in the quiet, studious little girl. That was all that mattered.

Freddie Benson was focused on playing host, particularly concerned with impressing the mother of his niece's little friend. He was the man of this house, which, he knew carried extra weight with this woman, whose culture dictated a different way of doing things. He carried the weight of three families – the Bensons, Pucketts, and Marxes – all on his shoulders. It was important that they all be seen as a family – unconventional, perhaps – but a family nonetheless.

Melanie made small talk with Bridget's mother. She hoped that Karen Xi could respect her as a mother, as well as a successful, professional woman.

"It's so nice to have you join us… I hope you feel comfortable here in our home. I know my niece thinks the world of your little girl…"

Mrs. Xi didn't know what to say. This pretty blonde was certainly very nice. She had small children of her own and had decided to entertain solely because it was a beautiful spring day.

"Your hospitality is completely unnecessary…"

Melanie laughed. That was sweet, but she completely disagreed.

_**LATER THAT AFTERNOON…**_

Wendy Marx gushed over Melanie's twins. She thought they – particularly Freddie Jr. – were the most adorable things she'd seen since Megan was that age.

"Oh Honey, they're adorable! Are you and Freddie… I mean… would you want more than two?"

Freddie overheard and turned white as a sheet. Shelby playfully punched Wendy in the arm.

"Wendy Sue! Give the pretty lady sometime to think about it…"

Wendy and Melanie both blushed. Shelby was so like Sam, sometimes.

Sam, for her part, was berating Freddie for choosing a gas grill over charcoal as they served lunch. Sam smiled, watching Carly play with the kids on the grass. It made Sam all warm and gooey inside. She was a lot of things, but first and foremost, she was Carly's wife and Mama to twin girls. They were her entire world.

Flipping burgers, she had about as close to a heart-to-heart conversation as she'd have with Freddie – in public, anyway.

"So, FredNub… How's everything in the baby department?"

Freddie, considering that this was Sam, took things completely the wrong way. Sam was always, well, Sam.

"Sam… Jesus!"

It finally dawned on her that the Nub thought she wanted to know… _that_. Nothing could be further from the truth. She hit him upside the head.

"Ew, gross, you Nub! Like I want to picture you and my sister doing… _that_… I'd wake up screaming every night til I die!"

Freddie simply shot his sister-in-law, formerly the blonde headed demon of his childhood, a bright smile. He held her around the waist, the way he did with her sister and she did with Carly. They would never say so in so many words, but the fact remained that Freddie Benson had grown to love Samantha Puckett.

"Love you too, Sam…"

_**LATER, IN BETWEEN CHEESEBURGERS…**_

Shelby Marx and Carly Puckett chit-chatted, looking longingly at their girls, who were cuddled together on the grass, laying out in the Spring sunshine.

"Amazing how fast time goes, isn't it, Shay?"

Carly smirked. Shelby Marx hadn't called her by her maiden name in ages.

"Yeah… I don't want to think about it, but you're right… next thing we know, it'll be high school and boys and…"

Shelby laughed.

"Don't get too ahead of yourself there, Cupcake…"

Carly fussed.

"I'm not your Cupcake, Shelby Marx! Only Sam gets to _'__Cupcake__'_ me…"

Wendy laughed a few feet away.

"Tickle her on the…"

Shelby yelled, cutting off her partner.

"Don't you dare, Wendy Sue!"

Carly laughed.

"You guys are like a couple of teenagers…."

Sam snuck up behind her partner and planted a big wet kiss on her neck, in that special spot that Carly liked. The brunette yelped, never seeing it coming.

"Say hey, Cupcake…"

"Sam…"

The two couples cozied up together at the picnic table. They loved their time together. Their kids were the best of friends, which made them feel even closer. They had all grown up together, and now their children were doing so. It made them all feel good.

Sam poked Carly gently in the stomach. She needed her wife to see.

"Carls, look…"

It was adorable. Melanie had fallen asleep in the middle of the grass, her head lolling against little Bridget Xi.

Mrs. Xi spoke, clearly meant for her daughter and her daughter only. They were the only two who spoke a word of Korean.

Bridget was cranky. She ignored her mother and let the pretty blonde rest.

Freddie and Melanie joined their extended family, their own children in tow. They filled in where they could. Sam Puckett turned to her sister, more in awe of her today than ever before.

"Mel, I want you to know… you're… you're amazing, you know that?"

Melanie Benson smiled. She loved her sister more than life.

"I love you too, Samantha…"

They sat there, all four families, enjoying the sunshine and each other's company, united by the love they had for their children, and wondered silently about the future.

_###_


End file.
